Ninth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

In 2005, a group of “Taino” reclaimed the Caguana Ceremonial Center, in Utuado Puerto Rico, in the name of their ancestors demanding, “End the destruction & desecration of our sanctuaries, sacred places, archeological sites, coaibays (cemeteries) & ceremonial centers now!” The Taino had used the site for years to celebrate traditional rituals, but due to changes in the Center’s policies, were now restricted to certain hours. For the Taino, this was the final straw in an ongoing and escalating patrimony conflict with the site managers, The Institute for Puerto Rican Culture, charged by the Puerto Rican Legislature in 1955 with the task of “conserving, promoting, enriching & disseminating the cultural values of Puerto Rico.” The result was a 17-day occupation and hunger strike that brought to the fore issues regarding Puerto Rican identity that had long lay dormant. The period of European colonization in the Americas was one of cultural disruption/loss. As a result of Spain’s assimilationist policy, concubinage with native women was widespread. As a result, indigenous culture/spirituality survived. Taino society was based on a matrilineal system. Women were artisans, warriors, healers & chieftains. The primary deity of the Taino cosmology is Attabeira, the Great Mother. Many years of colonialism served to relegate the female descendents of the Taino to a subservient status. But recently there has emerged a Taino movement that seeks to restore the feminine aspect to it’s once revered and respected status. My research explores how these groups are rewriting the story of the Taino Woman.