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Friday, October 8, 2010

In the News - Issues Involving Arawak & Columbus…

Issues involving other Native People…

Why AIM Opposes Columbus Day - Care2 News Network
By Kat Yazzie
When Taino Indians saved Christopher Columbus from certain death on the fateful morning of Oct. 12, 1492, a glorious opportunity presented itself. The cultures Europe and the Americas could have merged, and the beauty of both races ...

Refusal to Pledge Allegiance Lands Lawyer in Jail
To some it could evoke a certain vision of American promise: a classroom full of towheaded youngsters standing beside their arched desks, left hands over their precious hearts and right ones raised in open-palmed salute, reciting in unison the vow popularized by a Baptist minister in a 19th-century edition of "The Youth's Companion."

Possible Pyramid in Puerto Plata
A local Dominican newspaper reported the discovery of a possible ancient pyramid. The so-called pyramid is in the form of a large pile of stones that was found by the property owner who is deciding to remain anonymous at this time. The owner also claims to have alerted local authorities who he feels are ignoring an important archeological find. Another community member, Vanessa Inarunikia said that “As Taino, we know exchanges took place with Mesoamerica but [if this claim is true] this would confirm our oral tradition as fact for the academics and others who usually tend doubt everything unless they say it was so.”

Reactions from the Taino community have been mixed as there is caution over the report which could turn out to be a hoax.

Taino community member Miguel “Sobaoko Koromo” Sague states “I am skeptical concerning the possibility that our ancestors were so influenced by Maya and other Mesoamerican cultures that they would have begun to build pyramids". Sague continued stating that in spite of the doubts “it is a little exciting to allow myself to imagine that maybe... this man is really saying the truth.”

Ghost of Taino by Mike Toner
Mystery and controversy haunt a pre-Columbian ceremonial site in Puerto Rico.
[image]
These images of Taíno gods, carved at least 500 years ago, have caused the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to radically alter dam construction plans on Puerto Rico's Portugues River. (Courtesy David Diener)  Archaeologist Chris Espenshade's instructions were clear: excavate a marginally interesting settlement (designated only as PO 29) along Puerto Rico's Portugues River that had once been occupied by the Taíno people, recover artifacts, record useful data, and get out. The bulldozers were waiting. After more than 20 years of budget delays, escalating costs, and engineering challenges, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was finally ready to build the last phase of a $580-million flood-control project that would protect Ponce, the island's fifth-largest city, from the devastating floods that sweep down the valley after heavy rains.

Indigenous People of Suriname await land rights.
Legal rights and recognition for the diverse indigenous peoples of Suriname have lagged behind those in other South American countries. Despite pressure from the UN and binding judgments by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Suriname has yet to recognize indigenous and tribal land rights, a situation that has disconnected local communities from decisions regarding the land they have inhabited for centuries and in some cases millennia. A new report, Securing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Conservation in Suriname: A Review outlines how this lack of rights has alienated indigenous communities from conservation efforts in Suriname. Instead of having an active say in the creation of conservation reserves, as well as their management, decisions on indigenous lands have traditionally been imposed from the 'top-down' either by government officials or NGOs.

U.S. Embassy returns Taino artifacts seized by agents
NEW YORK.- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents in Florida, Puerto Rico and Memphis confiscated 66 pre-Columbian Taino artifacts, many dating back 2,000 years, arrested the smugglers, and returned to Dominican Republic authorities. NEW YORK.- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agents in Florida, Puerto Rico and Memphis confiscated 66 pre-Columbian Taino artifacts, many dating back 2,000 years, arrested the smugglers, and returned to Dominican Republic authorities.

Taino Burial
Interesting forum on artifacts and burial among the Taino.