Fundamento Taino

Nkisi is Kongo, Fundamento (cauldron) arose from the Kongo within the Caribbean, the principles of both are in harmony with eachother. Within the Fundamento are many components of the Earth, soils, minerals, trees (palos), dusts, elements, waters, plants, oils, bones, stones, metals, clays, smoke, fermented elements and so on. The Fundamento is essentially a microcosm of the Earth herself. So we can and must come to recognize the Earth herself as an Nkisi or Fundamento! Each Fundamento has an Mpungo (Spirit of that Fundamento), as does the Earth herself have an Mpungo. Deep within the Earth is her essential Spirit. None of us know the depth of that Spirit or have been able to visit the central "seat" of that Spirit deep within the Earth. We interact with all the Spirits on her surface, the plants, trees (palos), stones, waters, winds, animals, and so on. Just as is the case with the Fundamento, the Mpungo is deep inside and not visible to the outside observer, but the outside expression is an expression of that Mpungo. We have to recognize that the Fundamento of the Earth herself has been desecrated by the activities of exploitation, greed and ugliness upon her surface. Deep holes have been dug into her and deeper holes are planed. The blood of her veins (oil) and essential elements of her body (metals, elements) have been depleted and distorted into agents of genocide, disease and poisoning. The Mpungo within the Earth herself is enraged as would be any Mpungo whose world (fundamento) was being destroyed and just as any Ancestor gets enraged when their tomb or burial ground is desecrated and their remains carried out to a museum, private collection or the like. We are dealing with anger of an Mpungo upon whom we all depend on for life itself. Inside of the space that is "ours" that we are responsible for caretaking, how are we caring for the Fundamento that this there? Not the Fundamentos we may have in our Monasu or home, but the Fundamento that is the Earth upon which we live? Is that Fundamento within the greater Fundamento of the Earth being cared for and being healed through our actions or are we treating that fundamento as a piece of "real estate"? It may be a 4'x4' space in a back yard, or it may be acres in the country, but nonetheless the Spirit of that space is looking at us and our behavior. The Nkisi, Fundamento is "alive" and the Mpungo connected to it is able to see, think, assess and communicate. Upon the Land we have recognized the fact that she is an Nkisi, Fundamento of a much larger magnitude than the Fundamentos that are in Cauldrons, Pots, or in the form of Nkisis. So we approach the Land ceremonially in all aspects. We bring in components that are needed, stones, specific trees, plants, herbs, bano plants, medicine plants, flowers and the various animals that are needed both dead and alive. In this understanding all the animals that are upon the land are inside that Fundamento that is called "The Land of the Sacred Heart of Life". The horses are there for a purpose, the donkeys, ram, bull, pigeons, chickens, and dogs. An essential component of the Nkisi or Fundamento is the human bone. Upon the Earth there are billions of bones! What a Fundamento! She is the Fundamento of all fundamentos! Her power is enormous. Not only does she have all the bones of the Ancestors but she also has the living upon her. At thsi time the living are waging a war upon her between those who seek to dominate her (something that they could never do successfully but these people are suffering a severe mental illness of cosmic proportions) and those who seek to live on her in compliance with natural and divine laws of abundance, cooperation, balance, harmony and thriving.

The fundamento within the Monasu or the home also has a living being associated with it, its caretaker (you!). The nature of the fundamento and its actions are very much dependent on both the brujo who created it and the person who is caretaking it. The fundamento may have been created from a point of healthy, abundant thriving and solution finding, but if the living component (you) is in alliance with the spirits of degression this creates a situation of disharmony and conflict in the relationship and the good things that the Fundamento can bring about is blocked by the "caretaker". However if the caretaker is in harmony internally and with the Fundamento the energies are aligned and great progress is possible. So when we walk upon Mother Earth, we must realize that we are walking upon the most powerful of Fundamentos in our experience and we must realize the conflict that is taking place and allow ourselves to make a strong and steadfast decision to align with the essence of the greatest of all Fundamentos in our experience and align our own "space" upon this Fundamento with her and align ourselves with the other Fundamentos (medicines) that we are caretakers of, so that all these powers in all these dimensions can be in alignment and can develop the progress that is needed.

Note:  the two photos of a "Taino Cemi" are dated around the time that (kidnapped) African "slaves" were arriving in Taino World.  The Cemi has a clearly and distinctivly African face on one side and a distinctively Taino Cemi face on the other, showing (in my view) the synthesizing that was occurring between the two world views and traditions at that time.... the merging of two "bilongos".