Taino Conuco

With the wisdom and love of the Ancestors, the blessings of the Rains, the blessing of the Sun, and the fertility of the Earth, our Conucos have flourished.  They include Corn, Beans, Squash, Sunflowers, many medicinal herbs, Elderberries (which are currently green), and Black Berries (just starting to ripen).  The Conucos are created utilizing the Wisdom of our Taino Ancestors.  Sacred ingredients are added, not visible to the casual onlooker.  Ingredients of fertility and energy give the Conuco the capacity to produce abundance year after year. (For those familiar with the term, they are a "Fundamento").



In this day of sweeping dilution and misrepresentation of our Traditions, it is important to become rooted once again in the profound and raw energies of our Mother Earth. The years of ceremonies has given us the wisdom and knowledge to manifest the magic within these Conucos.  We understand that ceremony without manifestation is an empty fantasy that leads to the revolving doors of endless stagnations and "crop failures" (meaning actions with no results of abundance).  



Ancestral wisdom leads us to abide by the principle of biological diversity within our Conucos.  In them you see medicinal plants, spiritual plants, food plants, healing plants.  Not only do we (human people) benefit but our relatives also do, including birds, insects, butterflies, bats, moths and very importantly bees (who we know are in a crisis of toxicity) and spiders, our profound relatives of communication.



At night, the bats swoop around the Conuco, and moths pollenate the tobacco flowers.  It is at this time of the sacred cycle of day and night that the Tobacco flowers release their most potent, sweet smell. In this sense the Conuco is also a "Moon Garden."  The silvery foliage of the white sage has so much resin within its leaves that it is sticky to the touch. 



These Conucos have stored within them fertility from old branches and other woody debris that will release slowly over many years without the need for us to add any chemical fertilizers (that are causing so much damage to our sacred Rivers and Oceans).  



The Conucos are the ultimate "raised bed" garden which is essential in our climate where summers can range from hot and dry, to humid and wet.  This year we have an abundance of rain, which can create fungal issues which can destroy plants, however the Conuco creates the perfect balance of drainage and moisture retention that most plants crave.    It is perfect for both extremes.  In this time of escalating Earth Changes, it is essential that our ceremonies create real resilience and adaptation that is so important for our generations, as well as our future generations!  



For us the Conuco is a sacred connection with our Ancient Taino Ancestors, and we are humbled and amazed that their wisdom is so applicable today!  Their wisdom holds the keys to the healing of Mother Earth that is essential NOW!



The wisdom of the Elders/ Ancestors, and our Common Sense, tells us clearly, without a doubt, that water is NOT a "thing" but is rather a SACRED SPIRIT, a SACRED MPUNGO, a SACRED CEMIS! The Conuco is able to absorb water and release it over time.  These particular Conucos are built along contours in the land, which further harvests the water from the hill and stores it in the Conuco.  For anyone who struggles with hard, compacted soil, you will know the benefit of raised beds.  The Conuco is the Mountain of all Raised Beds!



The Conuco also provides multiple microcosms within it.  There is a dry side, and a wet side.  Depending on its directional orientation, there is a dry and sunny side and a wet and shady side, or the opposite, a sunny and wet, and shady and dry.  These Conucos are sunny and dry, shady and wet.  



The traditional 3 (4) sisters garden is present here as we show respect to our Sisters and Brothers and Ancestors of this land.  The Corn is the first sister, who creates a trellis for the Beans (the second sister), the Beans draw nitrogen from the air and root it into the Soil.  Squash (the 3rd sister) runs along the ground shading the roots of the corn and beans.  The 4th sister is Sunflower who attract beneficial pollinators.  In truth there are many sisters present here, as the Yarrow, Red Clover, and many other medicinal herbs attract beneficial insects and bees.  We also plant potatoes below the corn as an essential aspect of our staple diet.  There is a couple sour cherry shrubs planted within the Conuco!  The limit of the Conuco's capacity only lies within the lack of creativity of the sacred herb bohitu!  This creativity develops over time through the continual practice of ceremony connected to Earth.