4th Annual Taino Family Camping Trip
Pedernales Falls, Texas - October 7-10, 2011
The weekend began with a hike to the beautiful Pedernales Falls -- Taino style with mayohuacan (log drum) and maracas -- which culminated in an opening ceremony on the rocks between the cascades! During the ceremony we PRAYED that God would send rain to Texas to relieve the drought that was producing wildfires that had burned 4 million acres of land and destroyed near 3,000 homes! Be careful what you pray for! That night we were awakened by very heavy downpours that dumped over 1.5+ inches on us and upto 4 inches on other neaby towns! (Yes, we had waterfalls our tents!)
Other weekend activities included a talk on Ancestral and Medicinal Plants by Bohike Guarinaricimu, a workshop on Taino Language by Bujiti' Toabo Yamauco, a Men-against-the-Ladies Taino cooking competition, and a hands-on workshop that taught our children how to make their own toys using natural and available resources. The children received a blessing from the Cacike in a special Areyto (Ceremonial Dance) dedicated to them, and new members of the Concilio were welcomed. As if the weekend wasn't already special, Los Hijos de Boriken road down from North Texas, to receive their Taino name from the Cacike in ceremony.
We enjoyed a weekend full of keepsake memories thanks to Cacike Caciba Opil whose generously shares his mission to rescue and restore Taino heritage with us. Tekina-eirú is Taino by blood and a consecrated elder for El Concilio's Pueblo of Guatu Ma-cu. She is a Tekina in the Suania, which is a teacher and a leader of ceremonial dance in the Americas. She has dedicated her life to transmitting her heritage to the next generation.
This action-packed weekend was sponsored by Humanities Texas, Fiesta Mart, and many private donations.
