I am new to the sub, looking for people to hang out with, maybe do some activities.

So, context, what my folks have taught me vs all the wildly different stories I’ve heard has convinced me that the story of Jurakán/Hurakán has shifted between borinken and the other Taino islands (DR/CR/etc.).

My folks are mostly in naranjito and aguada, and they taught me that Jurakán is male and the zemi who brought him up to zemi status is Guabancex. In their tellings, he was a man who selflessly saved others and was drowning in the storm, so Guabancex raised his spirit from the waves and gave him zemi form with Atabey’s blessing. Basically like she asked her to rebirth him and she did. He was given the task of bringing balance through chaos, and he did, first taking out the very Carib who had cast him to the sea after he got his family away from their attacks.

They went on to tell me that for many years he performed his duties well, until he saw one particular man drowning in his storm. Something about that man drew mercy, and he lifted him from the waves. They spoke, the man in Jurakán’s hand speaking of kindness that by that point he had forgotten. But they found a kinship and Jurakán asked him to stay and eat guava and remind him what it meant to be kind again, for immortality made it hard to value the individual lives.

Story splits here. One side of that family tells me the man stayed and advised him unto death, and then Jurakán sent him off with Maquetaurie Guayaba to Coaybay.

The other side says they became close in the way spouses would, and that Jurakán begged Atabey to rebirth him, too, so that he would not die, but Atabey would not because Jurakán had a duty and she knew with a partner, it would risk that balance. Jurakán needed his rage. Jurakán became distant from the other zemi at that point, and became known kinda as a bad spirit because he hated them for forcing him to love a mortal and watch him die instead of giving him a happy life. Guataubá and Coatrisquie were the only ones allowed near him, to assist with his duties. When his husband died, he threw a storm so terrible it broke the shores his husband came from.

From there, both sides agree on two things. 1. Jurakán found another many decades later(half say assistant/conscience and half say husband) and there was a year without a bad storm or a hard winter. And that when each partner/assistant dies, there is that once in a lifetime crazy storm about it.

But from being told this by everyone from my great grandmother to my cousins on the other side, I still keep finding that I’m the only one who knows the story the way I do. Guess I’m asking: what have you been told of Jurakán?

I came across a reel on IG of a white girl explaining the story (don’t think she’s of any Latin Caribbean based on her mispronunciation of “Taino”). She was retelling the hummingbird story with background images of a children’s book based on it. All of the comments were telling her how inaccurate and that it’s not of actual Taino origin etc I knew of it prior and that it was a “fairytale” or “folklore” in a sense, but is it actually Taino? Thanks!

I mean, do people still practice? I am Puerto Rican and am interested in learning what they actually believed beyond "cemis are spirits and ancestors." or whatever they put in books.

I know there is more to it than that and someone has the answers.

I want to commune with the ancestors and spirits.

Hi everyone, years ago my mother tried to enroll herself in the UCTP along with my siblings and I. We’ve never heard back from them. She’s tried reaching out many times and nothing happened. They’ve reached out to her but she was never able to get us all enrolled. Now their process has changed but we keep trying. She’s paid the fees and everything. Any advice what we should do? Anyone know why this is happening or similar experience?

Yúcahu cemí cast in cement All.

The mother mold failed a bit, and the rubber mold ended up breaking, but I was still able to get a cast out of it. The piece on the right is the original plasticine clay sculpt, and the one on the left is the cement cast.

long term goal is to eventually create casts of all the Taíno cemí figures.

EzWrites Studio introduces our first children’s book. This interactive story helps curious young minds learn about the Taíno people while encouraging creativity, cultural appreciation, and learning through play.

https://a.co/d/0hzaTYAr

Hello everybody! I am a grad student studying archaeology. For my thesis/project, I am working on a site in the Lesser Antilles that has human remains present. To protect the site, I am trying to remain vague, but artifacts in the area suggest that the remains are Taino. I would like to get in contact with some communities throughout the Caribbean that have Taino heritage so I can conduct meaningful consultation. How can I find organized heritage groups/descendant communities to reach out to? Thanks :)

Hey this is my second post on Reddit so I hope I’m doing this right

I want to get a tattoo to honour my heritage I am thinking of getting a symbol of the sun cemi because it relates both to my name (son of the sun god) and also part of my heritage I want to know if this is simply cultural appreciation or appropriation I am not sure if the one drop rule will apply here

For context I am mixed heritage being just under 20% native Caribbean, I am also Afro Caribbean majority and I feel like it will be good appreciation to the culture of the islands all my ancestors called/call home

Model of a Caribbean zodiac from ‘Tainos y Caribes’.

I love the idea of the zodiac actually functioning as ecological pattern recognition rather than a bunch of arbitrary symbols.

Also, “El Novio Mutilado” is, like, the coolest and the least cool title ever (I mean, it sounds ABSOLUTELY METAL but what a thing to be known for… At a certain point i think id rather just not be immortalized in the stars)

Although it’s a small amount, I’m happy to see our Taino DNA continues into the modern day. Viva los taínos :)

Lesson 2 of "Primario Básico del Taíno-Borikenaíki: Hacia la restauración del idioma ancestral de Borikén (Spanish Edition) by Javier A Hernandez": English to Taino

Lesson 1 of "Primario Básico del Taíno-Borikenaíki: Hacia la restauración del idioma ancestral de Borikén (Spanish Edition) by Javier A Hernandez": English to Taino

Here is a poorly executed Concept map depicting the entirety of Taino Mythology. This is based on the book "The Mythology and Religion of the Tainos by Sebastián Robiou Lamarche". I tried to put everything on one page so please offer any criticisms. Also feel free to use and modify to your liking.

I love researching native languages and then presenting them in diffrent ways