Traditionally the Ancestor in the Fundamento is a direct Ancestor

Traditionally the Ancestor in the Fundamento is a direct Ancestor. In Taino tradition the people put their Ancestor's bones directly in the homes (Bohios) in a guord hung from the roof or made cemis from the skulls and bones of the Ancestors.

Taino Human Skull made into amulet to wear!

Taino Cotton Cemi with Ancestor Skull! Today there are many laws and restrictions in place preventing people from having the access to their Ancestral remains that is their birthright. However there are ways around these problems, such as utilizing the cremation remains (really bone dust) or preserving the skull (or other bones?) intact from the cremation, I know for a fact this is possible in some states. Do the research! It is vital for us to retrieve everything possible that we can in these times. The fact is that most Paleros use Ancestral remains that are not direct ancestors. Some know the names and other details about the Ancestor, others know nothing. The tradition of creating Medicine from Ancestral remains continues today! In this case we can see the adaptation to recognize the land upon which this Cemi was created, nonetheless the principle ingredients remain the same.

To the Bakongo Ancestral remains were so sacred that in fact just the soil from the grave was powerful enough to bring that Ancestor into the medicine (bilongo). Concerning Palo we have a correspondence between the Taino and Bakongo concerning the reverance for Ancestral remains and the active use of Ancestral remains within the Medicines (Nkisi and Cemis) that they used for multiple purposes. Because of the situation today we may be dealing with muertos in our Nkisis that are not within our direct Ancestral line and may not even be from the same country or land mass that we are from. Effectively we are dealing with "strangers". There is a huge difference here that we cannot simply ignore (did I say that out loud- oohps). This requires that we spend more time exploring who is in our Nkisi (or Cemi) and developing a relationship with them. Without putting in this time to develop the relationship we remain in ignorance as to who is in front of us when we are standing in front of the Nkisis. At the same time it is a statement concerning the situation in this world where this chaos has erupted among the Ancestors and the treatment of the Ancestors by the Living. To truly establish a positive relationship with the Nkisi where the Ancestor in it is a stranger, and so that stranger becomes a "friend" is a movement within the earth to heal some of the brokeness of the relationships between the Living and Dead! We also need to recognize that a direct Ancestor can be behind the bringing forth of that Nkisi into one's life. We have witness situations where the Ancestor's remains were not present but the Ancestor's Spirit aligned with the Nkisi and the Mpungo to influence and bring positive things into the relationship. It is important, again, if we are to truly overcome the situation that causes "strangers" to be in our monasu or home that we carefully identify the direct Ancestor and acknowledge that Ancestor when dealing with the Nkisi. It is also important that we do not take for granted that many of the remains that are readily available are torn out of their homelands, shipped around, stored in warehouses and so on and so many of those Ancestors were traumatized in life and in death, so we also must always check where that Ancestor is standing to see if there is an agreement to put those remains in the Nkisi.

These two Cemis clearly show the harmonious interrelation and exchange that occured between the Taino and Kongo in the Caribbean. The essence of the two Spiritualities resonated at that time and continues to resonate today!

Seeds Are Life And Death!

Seeds Are Life And Death!

As Indigenous People, if we cannot see ourselves as seeds, we are lacking the ingredients of progression and are failing to understand the Spirit that is the Spiritual Entity which gave birth to us all, whether two-legged, four-legged, flyer, creepy crawler, swimmer, tall and green ones.... We are all seeds of this Earth, which as Tainos today we identify as "Atabey" and each particular culture and tradition reserve their unique name for the same Mother who birthed us all alike. So as Tainos searching and seeking to construct a culture within the ruins of our ancestral traditional ways, we must dig deep within our essence to see and understand our place within Mother Earth, which is suffering from the ills brought forth by the alien mentality of the two leggeds who invaded and who totally rebelled against the Mother of Life. We are the seeds of Life brought forth by the Earth herself, and if we are to make contributions of coexistence with our existence we must travel within the black dot, through the black dot to cultivate the seeds of progression and change in a world that is inevitably changed, and is slowly heading in the direction of totally rebelling against the actions that have been taken to dismantle the Sacred Hoop which contains the memory of evolution within the experience.

As Tainos, once again if we cannot see ourselves as seeds, we are definitely and without a shadow of a doubt, blind, ignorant, and involved in the manufacturing of mental deceptions within our everyday movement towards the entertaining of the lunacy that haunts our mental body each day that we allow ourselves to be in a fantasy inside of an illusion that leads us to no conclusions. The only thing that can be harvested is more fantasies, more illusions, and the continuation of being instrumental in the dumbing down of our mental bodies!

The center root of Taino consisted of cultivating seeds that would bring nourishment, wisdom, for the living and communication with the Dead. The seeds were the central theme of understanding the life of the Yukayeke within the center root of the Ceibe tree and the Ancestors understood that the tentacles of the Ceibe were the living veins of the Mother. The Yucca becomes Yucca because of the seed and the Yucca that the Ancestors cultivated had within the DNA of that seed, life and death in unison. The People understood how to separate the process of Death from the process of Life from the one seed that is the Yucca that nourished the people and gave them sustenance for their physical bodies. Whereas the Cohoba seed is the seed of the Dead, that the Living ingests in order to be in a trance of the Dead. In the trance of the Dead, the seed allowed the Living and the Dead to sit in unison for the benefit of the People, to gain the knowledge and wisdom to sustain themselves and to elevate their understanding and their conception of the Spiritual Entity. The Cohoba of the Dead allowed the Dead to continue to Live inside of the Cemis through the consciousness and intelligence of the Living who holistically and scientifically understood the distribution and the birthing of the seeds of life that the Mother shared with all alike.

Seeing ourselves as "seeds" immediately brings up the most powerful manifestation of ourselves as Seeds, which is our children, our grandchildren, our greatchildren who continue the bringing forth of our Essence as Seed! The Seed contains within it all the knowledge and wisdom necessary for its growth, its expression and its creation of multiple more seeds containing this same knowledge and wisdom. The seed requires the vital elements present in our Mother Atabey and also the Light and Heat from the Sun (Boinael). The moisture, nutrients, air, rain, even micro-organisms all are necessary for the growth of the Seed, however the Seed itself holds the "intelligence (knowledge and wisdom) for its full manifestation and its generation of another generation of Seeds. The transmission of Knowlege and Wisdom must and will remain consistent and strong as Seed generates Seed. A seed does not seek or expect to derive its Essence, Identity, or Intelligence from it's "environment" but understands its total dependence on the Natural Elements for its manifestation from Seed to Seed Producer. This process of transformation from Seed to Seed Producer is very important for us to see in our lives.

As Tainos we cannot allow ourselves to go into slumber and denial concerning the Seeds, because the Earth herself is not in need of the Seeds, for she is the birther of all Seeds. It is "us" who need to regain and caretake the knowledge of the Seeds, because we cannot and should not and we must not continue to portray ceremonies that lack the vitality to manifest Seeds of Progression for the People and for the unification of our Actions with all our Sisters and Brothers of Life. We cannot continue to pretend to be doing ceremonies of planting in the absence of actions, because ceremony in our way should be rooted in the essence of the DEAD. But the actions of some of continuing to call the Dead to a ceremony(s) which is rooted in Fantasy and Enactments is detrimental to us all. Ceremony is the bloodstream and back bone of a people to thrive with the Earth in ALL of her Relations and Manifestations within the Evolution of Progression. There is a stream of medicine people and politicians who are invested in deception and illusions that lead the people empty handed in utterly searching for solutions to thrive in the current situation that the Earth's People find themselves in. Fantasies of Ceremonies abound, which are more rooted in denial, in self-hatred, in Hollywood stereotypes, and in blindness to the highest degree that one can surmount mental and spiritual blindness.

Meanwhile around the Earth Indigenous People and Indigenous Ways continue to be under attack from an enemy utilizing the same vicious, divisive, manipulative and deceptive techniques that were used upon our Ancestors and upon all the Ancestors of this Continent. Meanwhile it only takes one leader of the community to make a "deal with the devil" to bring down the entire community, the one weak link that allows the full penetration of this enemy to come into the heart of the Community and its Indigenous Ways, stripping the community of its Land and soon following that of its Culture and Spirituality, and soon following that of its physical health and vitality. When will we learn that it only takes one weak leader to become corrupted to destroy a nation? And what of the Indigenous communities such as us Taino, whose very Re-Surgence founding leaders were not clear on what side of the fence they were standing? Whose "medicine people" were unclear and continue to be unclear about the spiritual foundation they were standing on, not knowing if they should choose to emulate hollywood stereotypes of "north American Native spirituality" with its stereotypical purification (sweat) lodges and medicine wheels, totems and so on, or whether to emulate the movie "Emerald Forest's" portrayal of Amazonian "Indians", or whether to emulate the richly complex Central American cultures, or whether to emulate Christianity, warping deities such as Atabey and Yokahu into the virgin mary and jesus. What developed from the countless hours spent talking about the coming Earth Changes, and still never moving, never creating, never putting into action any plan of action, all talk, no results...? If it only takes one corrupt leader to lead a community or nation astray what happens to the community that is lead by 95% corrupt leaders (including medicine people) who refuse to embrace the Indigenous Principles which have proven over and over again would allow communities to thrive?

In this season of Spring Equinox, Equinox ceremonies abound within the resurgence... strangely dressed people (looking more like christian asthetics with perculiar headresses) prance around enacting what our Ancestors would perceive with perplexity as ridiculous performances, elsewhere scantily clad amazonian-esque actors re-enact hastily researched and poorly defined renditions of cohoba ceremonies, funerary ceremonies and so much more for throngs of school children and tourists... Irregardless of the climate and weather conditions, the seed planting season is forced into the dates of Spring Equinox, the "medicine people" in the temperate climate of the North forgetting that the Caribbean is a tropical zone, shivering in the cold winds of March to perform a C-section delivering the baby Jesus (I mean Yocahu) from the warmth of his mothers womb into the chilly early spring air so that he can begin his yearly cycle of life on the outside and then life on the inside of his blessed mother's womb, forgeting the conditions in the Caribbean allow agriculture at any time of the year, with the primary defining factor to our Ancestors being the level of rainfall during the year and not the temperature! Our traditional Taino spirituality has been taken by these buffoons and distorted, torqued, knotted and disgraced beyond recognition once again by those who are continuing to assuage the feeling of guilt and inadequecy and personal rootlessness, by becoming experts upon our tradition, the spiritual descendents of the chroniclers (missionaries) with the full new age adornment so favored today! Desperate in their need to cling on to their "father" christianity. Virginizing Atabey to more closely resemble their maternal fantasy of the blessed mother mary, proudly strutting through museaums, parks, pow wows, sacred grounds, schools, universities, events and areitos as the modern missionaries of our people, the Panes, the Las Casas, still harboring their secret jelousies and envies towards an Ancient People who truly understood their rightful place and balance upon the Earth, still rocked by their personal identity crisis, and still trying to please the big man and big woman!

Within all this drama, where are the seeds being planted? Are there even any real seeds present? And if there are real seeds, are they planted in the Earth or are they simply "symbolically planted" after which the "participants" go and gorge on "traditional" food which has been really planted by exploited Indigenous People around the world or do they run to McD or the King to gorge on beef patties farmed from cattle grazing on what was the Amazon Rain Forest and Tomatoes picked from virtual slave laborers in Florida or California (the unwanted Indigenous, so called"immigrants")? What type of exploitation will it be this time? Or do they simply visualize seeds being planted and then proceed to visualize a meal to eat? One more spoke in a consummer culture this time consuming "spirituality" neatly packaged in "ceremonies that you can do at home every day" and if you want to "you can even become a real Taino shaman.....!" Or play the political field right, get the right headgear, self promote on facebook and myspace, build a cyberspace organization and soon a mythical yukayeke will elect you casike! Then develop an unverifiable "bloodline" back to a recorded casike or unrecorded (your fantasy is the limit) casike and your in for life. However at death do not expect any other burial than a good christian one with a few decorative Taino flairs, Taino hymns and the famous Taino 'our father' (never mind our Culture was Matrifocal)..., and if you are lucky a "Taino regalia" and a few sparse "community members" competing with your biological family for the spotlight! And there you will be in no man's land, caught between looking for jesus and looking for spirit guides and trying to avoid "those Africans"....! None of this funny at all, this is not meant as a joke or ridicule but a deeply disheartening look at where the fantastical ceremonies have lead our people to.

What seeds have been planted for these times of Earth Changes that we are no longer waiting for but which are upon us? Where have these ceremonies taken the people or not taken the people? Are our communities prepared for today and everything tomorrow will bring? Traditional, natural seeds are the lifeline of our Survival, not only the seeds that produce plants, trees, and so on for our physical survival, but also those ceremonial seeds that allow our Spiritual Gardens to have Harvests for our Continued experience within our Mother, Atabey! We can no longer continue to give credence and acceptance to what is being marketed as "Taino", we can no longer stay silent in witnessing the modern destruction of our Culture and Spirituality, and we can no longer wait for authentic ceremonies to somehow miraculously evolve from these enactments, but we must fully and immediatly embrace the FACT that we are SEEDS and SEED-PRODUCERS and tend our GARDENS!

Haitian Revolution: Voudou and the Spirit of Hatuey

Haitian Revolution:  Voudou and the Spirit of Hatuey

January 14, 2010

First and foremost the Haitian Revolution had nothing to do with pacts with the devil, it had all to do with the liberation of the People and the Spirit that would extend that Liberation beyond its shores, which we recognize to be the Indigenous Spirit of Hatuey as well as the African Spirits within African based Spirituality, such as Vodou.

I am disgusted but not surprised by the remark of Robertson:

“And you know Christy, something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know Napoleon the third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French. True story, and so the Devil said OK it’s a deal. And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since they’ve been cursed by one thing after the other desperately poor. That island is Hispanola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On one side is Haiti on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. Uh, they need to have, and we need to pray for them a great turning to God and out of this tragedy. I’m optimistic something good may come but right now we’re helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.”

Clearly Robertson is attempting to insult and demean the African-Indigenous Spirituality which gave birth to the Haitian Revolution.  In his statement he is echoing the fear that white male supremacy has had for centuries regarding the history of Haiti as well as exhibiting his ignorance of history and politics.  Dominican Republic (Kiskeya) is not as poor as Haiti in terms of the economy however Kiskeya suffers immense poverty and can hardly be called prosperous and healthy.  

Demonizing the African Spirituality also demeans Taino Spirituality, as Haiti was originally Taino Lands, and still the Bones and Spirits of the Tainos continue to resonate in every aspect of the Land as well as in its People.  The pact made between the Haitians who brought about the Haitian revolution was a Tratado made with the Indigenous and African Spirits of Haiti.  The effects of this Tratado were  and continue to be far reaching, but the poverty in Haiti has nothing to do with this Tratado, rather has everything to do with attacks on many levels on Haiti over the last 200 years.   There is a widespread hatred towards Haiti and her people because of what the Haitian Revolution represents which is the liberation of African Slavery.  The Haitian Revolution drove a profound spike of fear in the heart of white male supremacy and shook it to its crumbling foundation; it is still shaking.    

The constant challenges that are coming out of Haiti are a direct result of the resistance towards Colonialism and the continuation of white supremacy which is doing all in its might to keep Haiti under deprived conditions, poverty, sickness, and degression.  In spite of this attack by white supremacy, people are becoming more and more historically conscious and more aware of the true nature of the Haitian Revolution within the Caribbean, which is the homeland of the Spirit and of the descendants of Hatuey and the Spirit of Vodou which has thrived despite the Hollywood attempts to demonize the practices of the Haitian People.  

An attempt to break the Haitian Spirit by racist remarks and an attempt to bring false information to listeners is an attempt which is fruitless because the Spirit of Haiti cannot be broken through the words of degeneracy and hatred.  It is a testimony to the nightmares and torments that the memory of the Haitian Revolution is still bringing to white male supremacy.

All Tainos within the Caribbean and in the Diaspora should be very, very concerned with what has occurred through this catastrophe in Haiti, and equally concerned with this demonizing of the Haitian Revolution and demonizing of Haitian Spirituality, because the Spirit of Haiti is the Spirit of the Caribbean which runs through all our veins, whether we accept it or not.  You cannot change the rays of the Sun and you cannot change the glow of the Moon and you cannot change the blood that runs through your veins!

Hatuey, Vodou and the Haitian Revolution!

Hatuey, Vodou and the Haitian Revolution!

The Spirit of Hatuey has continued to make his presence known not only within his homeland of Haiti but across the Caribbean. We call him the Father of the Resurgence or more precisely the Father of the Resistance!

Hatuey was a great Casike, whose name means “Certainty of the Sun”. He had been engaging guerilla warfare in Cuba against the invading Spanish and warning the Taino people of Cuba about the evil nature of the Christian invaders. He warned his people of the cruel and wicked nature of these Christians telling of their loyalty and love for THEIR god, Gold and Jewels (money), making a clear distinction between the object of the Christian’s worship and the Taino understanding of their own “Deities”.

The Christians captured Hatuey (possibly it is said through a betrayal from one of his own), tied him to a stake and prepared to burn him alive. A monk attempted to convert Hatuey to Christianity, and told him that if he believed in Christianity he (Hatuey) would go to “heaven” where there would be glory and eternal rest or if he did not believe in Christianity he (Hatuey) would go to hell, where he would suffer torments and punishment. Hatuey was silent for a short time, then he asked the monk if the Christians went to heaven, and the monk said that the good Christians went to heaven. Hatuey immediately answered that he did not want to go to heaven, but would rather go to hell so as to not be in the same place as the cruel Christians. Hatuey was subsequently burnt at the stake and it is said that his Soul flew immediately to the Sun.

Hatuey refused to submit to entrapment by the Christians, he maintained the integrity of his Soul and Spirit by refusing at a moment of intense torture to compromise with the Christian god whom he knew to be evil based on the actions of this god’s followers. Remember Hatuey had been witness to mass murder, genocide, rape, murder of unborn children and the total desecration of the sacredness of his Yukayekes by these Christians who said that they came in the name of God and Christ. He understood the true deity that these people were worshiping and refused any deals with this evil entity (the beast).

After Hatuey’s death, the war between the Taino and the Spaniards continued. When the Spaniards began to import Africans in the chains of slavery they began with Black Muslims from Spain itself. These Muslims immediately rebelled escaping to the mountains and hills joining with the Taino and forming the first Maroon People. After this the Spainards became afraid to import more Muslims and began bringing Africans directly from Africa, most of whom were following various African Spiritual Traditions, these people also rebelled, many finding their ways to Maroon communities and also developing the tradition of Vodou within the communities and in secret upon the plantations.

As the French gained control of Haiti they launched a massive exploitation of the Land itself and the people of the land, Haiti is still recovering from this exploitation, as well as more modern exploitations of the elite.

Within the tradition of Vodou the Rada Cult is Dahomeyan in nature, more peaceful and sedate due to the influence from the nations of Africa which had solid social structures, cities, centralized authority and stable, peaceful (for the most part) kingdoms. However, the more violent and explosive Petro Cult is born from the synthesis of the tradition of the Taino-Arawak people and the traditions of the Congo and other African peoples. It was the Petro cult that was more rebellious and gave rise directly to the Haitian Revolution that put Fear in the heart of every slave-owner across the planet!

Maya Derens a woman who in her researches into Haitian Vodou becomes an initiate and directly experienced the tradition, writes in her book “Divine Horsemen, the living gods of Haiti” concerning the Petro Cult:

“It led me, further, to sense, for instance, that the Petro dance and drumming were not merely another ritual- not merely a more violent canvas by the same painter- but that they were of a different character- a canvas by another painter altogether. This distinction arrested my attention and I began to observe the difference in major forms, which eventually led me to look for the possible interpolation of another culture, to investigate the history of the Spanish and Indian period of the islands, and finally, to the determination of the Indian influence as elaborated in the Appendix to this book. What emerges from this research is the fact that the African culture in Haiti was saved by the Indian culture which, in the Petro cult, provided the Negroes with divinities sufficiently aggressive (as was not true of the divinities of the generally stabilized African Kingdoms) to be the moral force behind the revolution. In a sense the Indians took their revenge on the white man through the Negro.”

The photo above shows Negre Marron a statue of the African who broke free from Slavery, armed with a Machete, and calling forth rebellion and revolution with a Conch shell (not only a musical instrument but an important Spiritual instrument and Symbol to the Taino).

We can continue to trace the footsteps of the Spirit of Hatuey as he makes his way through history, inciting rebellion and revolution, calling forth for the abandonment of Christianity and the building of independence from colonial powers.

Francis Macandal (a Guinea born man) was a slave on the Lenormand plantation, through an accident he lost his arm in a sugar press, and some time subsequently he escaped and became a Maroon. In 1757 he organized a conspiracy to poison all the whites across St.Dominique (the colonial name for Haiti at that time). Some 6,000 deaths were attributed to him (perhaps exaggerated) before he was captured in 1758 through a betrayal from within (by one of his own). Francis Macandal was a muslim Marabout, meaning he was a medicine man in his own right, he could predict the future and have revelations and had skill at making amulets. He was called the Old man from the Mountains.

When Francis Macandal was captured he was tied to the pole and prepared to be burned January 20th, 1758. However the pole snapped tossing him out of the flames of the fire. This was seen as a sign of immortality by the onlookers. He told the onlookers at his death as he was dying that he was going to turn into a fly and fly away. Eventually the colonists tied him to a plank and threw him into the fire.

In Macandal’s story we can see the trail of Hatuey in the whole incident with the fire, the statement of flying away and the fact that Macandal was a muslim, in opposition to Christianity and that he had the skills of a Bohitu (Marabout in his culture). We see the threads of FIRE, FLIGHT, IMMORTALITY, understanding of the nature of Christianity and the skills of the BOHITU.

Now we come to perhaps the most critical turning point for Haiti, the Vodou ceremony conducted by the Houngan Boukmann at the very same Lenormand plantation, which is historically agreed upon as the moment that began the Haitian Revolution.

Boukmann Dutty was a field slave imported from Jamaica. He was conducting a Vodou ceremony on August 14, 1971. During the ceremony “a great storm arose, and there appeared a Negress whose body was trembling violently and who danced a wild dance holding a large knife over her head. As a climax of the dance she sacrificed a black pig. All the participants drank of the blood of the pig, and swore to follow Boukman. A week later the revolution was in swing…. The description of the ceremony makes it clear that it was a Petro ceremony since those are distinguished by pig sacrifices. It is possible that the woman was Marinette, or was possessed by Marinette, the major and violent female of the Petro Nation.” (Quote from Maya Derens book “Divine Horsemen”.

Remember that the Taino had a very intimate relationship with the “Deities” powers and forces of the storm, and a very powerful feminine deity, Guabancex, connected with snakes, the storm and embodying all feminine attributes.

Boukmann stated in Kreyole during the ceremony:

“The god who created the Sun which gives us light, who rouses the waves and rules the storm, though hidden in the clouds, he watches us. He sees all that the white man does. The god of the white man inspires him with crime, but our god calls upon us to do good works. Our god who is good to us orders us to revenge our wrongs. He will direct our arms and aid us. Throw away the symbol of the god of the whites who has so often caused us to weep and listen to the voice of liberty, which speaks in the hearts of us all.”

The symbol that Boukmann was referring to was the crosses that slaves would wear around their necks. Here we can hear Hatuey’s voice echoing in Boukmann’s words; The reference to Sun, and the clear distinction between the Deity and Divine Concepts of the African, African-Taino, and the white man. Both men, hundreds of years apart in time were speaking of the same thing, both knowing the manipulation and evil inherent within the Christianity of the colonizers. We also see that the Spirit itself (a female deity of the Petro Cult) performed the sacrifice herself, making it clear that the impulse that brought about the Haitian Revolution came directly from the Spirit itself! And not only the Spirit itself but the Taino Spirit who found an ally and Guaitiou in the African Spirit and together they became the Spirits of retribution that not only eradicated slavery from Haiti but opened the door for the abolishing of slavery over the entire continent and the development of a movement of solidarity across the Caribbean and South, Central America.

A week after this on August 22, 1791 100,000 field hands revolted burning plantations and killing the owners and overseers. Led by the houngans and mambos (female vodou priestess) the field hands were armed by nothing more than machetes and other tools and began what was ultimately a very successful revolution. Boukmann was killed a few months later and his head was placed on a pole in a square in order to intimidate the population. However his spirit, joined with Hatuey continued the struggle.

This revolution lasted until its successful outcome in 1804. A towering figure within the revolution was an African man called Louverture Toussaint Breda. He was the descendent of Arada kings, his father Gaou Guinou through power struggles in Africa was enslaved and shipped to the Caribbean. His father’s name “Gaou Guinou” means minister of war who is always on the battle field, for his father was also a powerful warrior. Toussaint was born on all souls day (November 1) in the Caribbean, and grew up to be a skilled medical practitioner, herbalist, horse rider and African healer. His Vodou name was “Fatara Bato” meaning “he who leads well the ceremonies”, clearly indicating that he was a houngan of some skill. Toussaint became the leading African general inside of the revolution and developed a plan to destroy the slave trade at its roots in Africa and abolish slavery world wide. Through trickery he was captured by the French and died in a French prison in April 1803 but not before he told his captors:

“In overthrowing me, you have cut down in Haiti only the tree of Liberty. It will spring up again by the roots for they are numerous and deep.”

Not long after this the Haitian revolutionaries completely defeated Napoleon’s army, sending only 4,000 out of an initial 30,000 men running back to France. Napoleon had planned to wipe out all the African Haitian men, women and children over the age of 12 and restock with new slaves imported from Africa, because he knew that the revolutionary Spirit was so powerful in Haiti. Along with the remaining 4,000 French soldiers, 4,000 remaining French colonials also evacuated in a hurry to Jamaica. Dessalines the Haitian leader at this point returned the Indigenous Taino name of HAITI to the country, acknowledging (consciously or unconsciously) the Taino roots of the Revolution! Haiti is the FIRST BLACK INDEPENDENT NATION post-colonialism in the world.

The Haitian revolution spread Terror throughout slaveholders across the Americas. The country itself continues to war against the powers of colonialism which continue to attack it on every level. It is also very important to note that Simon Bolivar came to Haiti to seek financial support for his Bolivarian revolution of independence for Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru at a point when Bolivar himself was very low on resources. The then leader of Haiti, Alexandre Petion gave Bolivar weapons, ammunition, money and Haitian volunteers for his fight for liberty for Venezuela and asked only in return for the abolition of slavery in all countries that Bolivar would liberate.

The Spirit of Hatuey and his refusal to bow to the god of the Christian conquistadors has rippled through this whole continent continually throughout the last 500 years. We can see that at the root of this story is a profound understanding and knowledge of Spirituality and Medicine! We continue to honor the Spirit of Hatuey and his Spirit of Resistance and we continue to look for his trail among the events, wars, battles that have occurred since his time right up to the present.

May the power and blessing of Hatuey continue to expand, influence and speak within our Present! And may we continue to recognize the Spirit of Hatuey in our Brothers and Sisters wherever we may find it! And may the blessings and power of the Cemis, Ancestors, Nkisi, Mpungo continue to be manifest in our lives! Blessings and gratitude for all that they have brought about!

Suggested Reading: Maya Derens “Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti

( BY: Koki Medicine Clan)

THE TREES ON THE LAND OF THE SACRED HEART OF LIFE

THE TREES ON THE LAND OF THE SACRED HEART OF LIFE

We are blessed with many, many trees on the Land of the Sacred Heart of Life.  Well over half the Land is forest.  Some old growth forest, some newer growth forest.  From the perspective of both the Taino and Bakongo Roots, Trees are very important Spiritually.  

Very often Cemis are made from trees, some of the Cemis of the Koki Medicine Clan are made from trees that came right from the Land.  The trees represent Ancestral Trees, Ancestral Spirits, that which allows our existence in the here and now.  When we speak of Spiritual Roots, the word "root" is not used as a convenient metaphor but reflects the power and significance of the Tree within the Traditions.  Of course in Boriken the Ceibe tree is the central tree, its huge size, its mysteriousness, its long roots, are all very powerful and have been long honored and used by not only Taino but also by the African roots which found a home within our Caribbean homelands.  

As Paleros, trees are of course also very important!  Here we cannot grow a Ceibe tree or many of the other tropical trees that grow in the Caribbean, but there are also huge powerful trees here, most notably the OAK tree.  We also have cherry trees, birch trees, elm trees, maple trees, poplar trees, sycamore trees, locust trees, walnut trees, sassafrass trees, beech trees, cedar trees, hawthorn trees, hickory trees, dogwood trees, mulberry trees, and we have planted many others, such as ginko, fruit trees, magnolia, red bud, flowering cherries, flowering pears, fig, weeping willow, dogwood, honey locust, river birch, fir, and more.  All of these trees have spiritual qualities, and most of them (if not all) also have medicinal qualities and the trees are planted and cared for with respect for these qualities.  However it is also vital to note that some of the trees have been planted for specific Egun (Ancestor), as a means to ground and center that Egun.  It is also vital to note that some of the trees are ceremonial that are connected to a specific ceremony or medicine and were planted for a spiritual reason.

The tree in the beginning, which is also the tree above is a very mysterious, special tree.  It must have once been a huge tall tree, but now it is half alive and half dead!  It has an amazing hollow in bottom, which we use for spiritual purposes and it lives by one of the Springs that are on the Land.  It is a very important marking point and is hundreds of years old, and has easily been standing since the African Community was upon the Land 100 years ago.

This tree is a Egun Tree, it is a Green Mountain Maple which was planted for a specific Egun during a Spiritual Process to benefit that Egun.

This is another Egun Tree, a sycamore, for an Ancestor of the Koki Medicine Clan.  This particular Tree is connected to a very significant and important Ceremony that took place 4 years ago.  It has grown strongly since it was planted.

This is two trees, a cherry and a poplar, which have grown together.  This was discovered when we were clearing a space for a Women's Batey.  The roots at the base of the tree form a uterus, confirming the appropriateness of the space for the women's Batey.  These particular Trees are connected to the fusion of two trees coming together in each of us (our Mother's Tree and our Father's Tree).  It is of course essential for the health of the individual that both of these trees, although distinct, are in harmony within the individual and are not in hostility towards one another.  This is also a place where significant and very unusual Ceremony has taken place, and these are very definitely Ceremonial Trees.

The two trees above are concerning a Ceremonial Process that was done 6 years ago with the first tree, which was to "hold" the winds of negativity which were seeking at that time to destroy the Vision and to disrupt the process of the Land coming into the hands of the Koki Medicine Clan.   There was a ceremony that translates to the ceremony of the 32 essences of the Dead (no in depth detail can be given for this ceremony). The tree took the "impact" of the negativity and parasites literally consumed the tree.  These parasites reflected the two legged parasites who were attempting to suck the Life out of the Vision.  From the Spiritual perspective the impact was so strong that it killed the tree, which was amazing to see, however the impact did not succeed in destroying the Vision or the process of the Land coming into the hands of the Koki Medicine Clan because of the Ceremony with this tree and the Medicine involved.  This was the purpose of the Ceremony that the tree would take the impact and the Vision would not have to take the impact.  The dead tree was replaced with a living tree, which was later successfully transplanted to the Land.  This tree has flourished! 

To the right is an Elm Trees that we planted on the Land and in the background is a pine tree that we rescued from an abandoned lot.  

This tree that is behind the Bohio is marking another important point and a ceremonial point.  When I say "ceremonial point" that means that an actual ceremony/ spiritual process took place at that point and many times indicates that medicine has been placed at that point.  It is not a vague statement or a fantastical statement or a statement of wishful thinking.  It is a statement indicating TRATADO.

Another wonderful tree on the Land, a very old apple tree.  This apple tree still bears many fruits!  

This tree is growing right out of the roof of the Monansu.  We built the Monansu around the tree itself through some creative carpentry.  It is the central post within the monasu.  As I said previously Palos are very significant to Paleros!

Another beautiful tree on the Land, another old apple tree.  This is in the horse field and surprisingly although the horses will eat most of the other tree's bark they will not eat the apple tree, but they do enjoy eating all the apples that fall to the ground in the Fall.

Behind the stones of this Batey are the many tulip poplar trees and some cherry which we cleared of vines when we first built the bohio.  They were being choked by many vines.  Since they were cleared of vines, they have accelerated their growth.  On the other side of the Batey is mostly locust trees, which are very strong and have been used as fence posts which last 50 years with no chemical treatment at all!  The bees love both the poplar and locust flowers.  Here the tulip poplar tree's flower make up one of the strongest nectar flows for the bees. 

This side of the Batey has mostly locust and some black walnut trees and here the ground is covered in  various medicinal "weeds" and is green all spring, summer and fall, the other side does not grow anything and stays the color of soil!

Hawthorn tree in one of the horse fields.  It has spikes all over it, and  is used for specific spiritual purposes. The hawthorn is also known as espanta muerto.  The animals do not chew on it because of the spikes and most likely they do not like its flavor!  Next to it is one of the wild elderberry bushes that grow all over the horse fields.  Again the horses, fortunately do not eat them.  Elderberry is a wonderful tonic for the immune system and is a great syrup to take when you have a cold or the flu.  Once you have a cold Elderberry is more effective than echinacea!  

Flowering dogwood tree in front of cherry and cedar all of these are here naturally.  We have many dogwoods naturally on the Land.

Two cedars and a tulip poplar in a horse field.  These trees will have the opportunity to grow very big because they are in a field and not in the forest so they do not have to compete for sunlight.  We have a true hardwood forest in much of the Land, but in the areas that have newer growth which are actually in a recovery process after the Land was pastured or farmed, we are able to select the strongest trees to grow very tall and we keep the space below them accessible.  

We are also creating "hedges" which are perfect habitats for birds and are also windbreaks for the gardens.  It is very important to us that we do more than replace any trees that we use.   It is also important to us that we re-introduce many of the native trees to this region.  We are concerned with medicinal trees as well and increasing the diversity of trees upon the Land.  The trees are sacred to us, and also provide us with health, shade, shelter, warmth, cooking fuel, and the sacred materials for Medicines and Cemis!  There are many more trees of interest on the Land, this is just a brief glimpse.

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GIVING BACK!!!!  

THE TREE NURSERY!

We have hundreds of saplings in our Tree Nursery!  Which we planted when they were no bigger than a small twig!  We put them in a nursery because it enabled us to care for them more efficiently as they required water and weeding.  Today they have grown tall, some are over 8' tall.  There are sycamores, river birches, honey locusts, dogwoods, butterfly bushes, peach trees, and some pine trees.  Over the next year we will be planting many of them around the Land.  They are to replace the many trees that have been destroyed over the years and to bring back more of the native trees to this region.  When looking at the area we live in from the sky (google map) it is shocking how depleted and TREELESS this so called rural area looks.  There has been a devastation of the tree life in this area, and although it appears that there are a lot of trees, this is an illusion due to the fact that there are many trees planted along the roads, so it appears as if the area has a lot of forest.  Farmers in this area have systematically destroyed all the forested areas in the quest for more farm and pasture land.  There is also a lot of quarrying that takes place in this area as well as housing developments which appear to have an obsession to cut down every tree in order to build a house.  

There is a misunderstanding that for a space to be productive that it has to be treeless.  The trees are vital to our thriving.  Their leaves enrich the soil, we use the leaves for mulch, they contribute to trapping carbon dioxide, they provide so many essential products for us including medicines, and they also reduce soil erosion.  The Earth will naturally cover herself back up with trees as soon as the people stop mowing them down, clearly indicating that trees are her natural adornment in this area.  We honor that by replanting trees!