T AÍNO RESUR GENCE The wilds of Upper Maguana.
they are known as Agua Dulce (Sweet Water) and by some as Tamani. San Juan de la Maguana is located on the
island’s southwest. Main roads were not built until the 1930s. Isolated, difficult to reach frontier land harbored maroons, of both Taíno Indian and African extraction up to fairly recent times. Cultural and spiritual syn- cretism came to epitomize this region. In one tradition, for example, the Liboristas follow the teachings of the island’s only Messianic figure, Papa Liborio, a healer and rebel who fought and was killed by American occupying forces in 1922. Another tradition is known as the 21 Divisions, a tradition that is sometimes referred to as Dominican Vodún. Both traditions have many followers
island-wide, and both have strong African, Catholic and Taíno influences.1
The Indig-
enous aspects of these religions are known as Sweet Water, the Red Band or Blue Water. The Indian traditions play a minor role in 21 Divisions, but play a much larger role among the Liboristas. Peculiar to Liboristas is the fact that their altars contain a heavy Catho- lic influence and a minor African one, and choose to keep all Indian iconographies away from anything European or African. In fact,
26 AMERICAN INDIAN FALL 2018
these altars, called buyio, are usually kept deep within caves. Tobacco, casabe (a tradi- tional Taíno bread), water, unusual stones and native fruits are part of the offerings in this tradition. Devotion to ancient deities, historical Indian cacike (chiefs), both male and female, suggests strong ancestor worship. Carmen Popa, a Liborista practitioner,
explains: “Here at the mission (church), we believe that the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost, and the spirit of our Cacike Anaca- ona [an historical female Taíno Indian chief] shines light on our path.” When asked if she has Indian ancestry, she says shyly, “My father always said we come from Indians, but it is hard to say such things here.” Of course, she was referring to the stigma that surrounds any notion of being Taíno or Indigenous. I thought about this. It reminded me of
my own life, wherein I always knew of my Taíno descent, but openly acknowledging it was discouraged. In fact, I often did, only to be ridiculed by friends, classmates and teachers alike. Like Carmen, often times I would just sit quietly and patiently while others determined for me, with whom or what I’m supposed to identify. Times have changed, however, and exciting new research
is demonstrating that the Taíno, although as- similated, were never exterminated. In fact, a study was published in February 2018 based on the sequencing of ancient DNA from a 1,000-year-old tooth from the Bahamas. It conclusively proved that modern day Carib- bean people not only have strong Native an- cestry but also that it is decisively Taíno, and not from imported Native slaves, as has been suggested by some historians.2
Compiled
by an international team of researchers, the study findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sci- ences (PNAS). Here in Maguana, the people not only
embrace a spiritual tradition full of Native customs and iconographies, which form the core of their spirituality, but also maintain an identity. This is, indeed, hiding in plain sight. One woman, Margarita Acevedo, said, “Al- though I practice 21 Divisions, my Indian Di- vision [sect] comes from my mother’s town of Jacagua.” The people in her town only adhere to Agua Dulce. Their buyio (altars) are pure Tamani. Nothing Catholic nor African are allowed on these altars. Acevedo confirmed for me the fact that Agua Dulce is practiced separately from the other two religions.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ELSA GUERRERO
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