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The assignment we were given to start the New Year in Critical Readings in Caribbean Culture was one in which groups had to delve into Jouvay Ayiti’s deep crevice of culture. The word Jouvay comes from the word J’ouvert which is a word made up of French origin and means “day break”. I was both excited and a bit nervous about how to portray such a vast history which the Taino tribe represents.
One story that seemed to stick out more than the others was that of the fearless Queen, Anacaona. Throughout researching the importance of Anacaona to the Tainos, I first had to understand the importance of matriarchy to the Taino people. In their culture, either men or women could be Gods as well as “Caciques” which is the name given to a leader of a specific division of their tribes. Another fact that I became aware of is that there is little documentation about which islands the Tainos lived on altogether. It is apparent that they dominated Haiti but were also dispersed throughout the Caribbean ranging all the way to Venezuela. The name “Taino” translates back to the people being “good” or “noble”. Anacaona specifically exemplified how the Taino people are both good and noble. Her story marks the importance of how she was stronger than that of some other women who chose to become mistresses of the Spanish after Columbus and his men landed in Hispaniola. She refused to degrade herself to become a concubine and stood up for her people’s freedom. In doing so, her execution was inevitable, but in doing so she was able to show bravery, nobility and empowerment.
In the photograph below, you can see the Taino Cacique, Anocaona
Through group discussion, we mapped out a plan to exemplify Anacaona in our presentation firstly. She had many different images which we looked at. An abundance of her images through a simple picture search showed us that she was usually draped in gold, had long hair, and wore gold head dresses. We then researched the literal meaning of her name which translates to “Golden Flower”. Our take on the costuming to represent Anacaona derives mostly from the roots in the belief of the Tainos that the hummingbird is the spreader of life on earth. In fact the Taino warriors were called the “Hummingbird Warriors” because they had a valiant heart to protect their land but they were also peaceful, like the small bird. The headpiece that was made for our presentation was gold in honour of Anacaona, and the rest of the suit was a colourful hummingbird to show the rebirth of the Taino warriors.
The image below exemplifies how Anacaona wore mostly gold, particularly on her head on the golden hummingbird headpiece.
As for my part in the group, I played a woman who was a representation of the polygamous system which the Tainos believed in. The costume consisted of a short skirt which was called a “nagua” and a headpiece which signified that the woman who wore it was unmarried. The Tainos believed in decorating their bodies; Lerissa, Janeen, and I who played the women wore red paint as that was a favoured colour among the Tainos. The women and men alike wore necklaces and bracelets. Their ears as well as their noses were often pierced as children.
My reaction to the crowed as we paraded through Old Yard if I could sum it up in one word would be: embody. I use this word because it was spectacular to be able to show a glimpse of what each tribe represented in terms of Caribbean pride. Having not known anything about these tribes prior to my arrival in Trinidad, I was ecstatic to be able to learn and grow about the ancestry that has been passed down through generations. On the other hand, I was equally interested to show people in the crowd who might not be aware of such ancestry a small look into an indigenous awakening. My overall experience was a great one. Although the pressure of deadlines is something we all struggled with as a group, to be able to perform a piece of theatre in a homegrown, ritualistic, and established sense was nothing less than amazing.
Reading The Caribbean 