Your DNA is in your soul ~~ Guest Author : Bibi Inarúnikía Pastrano

Do not give too much thought to the colors of your ancestry...for in the long run it will be the colors of your soul that will reveal to you who you are. The eyes of your spirit will show you the right path to follow.

In educating others about our people we must keep in mind the holocaust of our people and the undesirable mixtures of blood we as Tainos have had to contend with... these mixtures have caused our DNA to be altered and it is an important fact to consider if DNA is that important….because today, DNA has become a powerful thing and it is used as the blueprint from which all living things come from by society.

For us these blueprints, as we see them, carry the memory of our ancestors and from that memory, part of who we are is also forged.

That being the case, if our DNA is altered…do we change and how? Is that change just in our physical characteristics or do we also change in the way our minds work?

Is it important for us as Taino people to somewhere along the line make a DNA connection? If it is,

We also must consider the mix….for in that mix is memory which can lead to inner conflict

as we hassle with honoring this and that in ourselves, trying to know who we really are.

To create even more confusion dominant society has also seen fit to place us in racial categories of their own making. We are also burdened with society’s definitions about us that have stripped us of our real identity. We have been labeled Indian, Hispanics, redskins, black, white etc.

Yet we are neither of these things...We are Taino, a people whose ancestors lived a way of life alien to western thought for centuries....A people who were brutality subjected to a forced conversion of our mindset and ways. This, if I may briefly insert here, was also done to many of our indigenous relatives around the world.

What to do? .How do we embrace our cultural heritage in a way we can live with all the changes our ancestor’s needless to say had to endure and we today must try to understand. How do we move about in this sea of confusion created not by us but by dominant society?
How do we accept that which is written in our DNA that perhaps can conflict with how we think and others see us?

The answer mi gente is to turn to your soul….to embrace that part of you that in truth, cannot be defiled….your soul knows the way home and

that is where in the long run the battle over who you are comes to a head.

In your soul is the wisdom of the ancestors and via that wisdom we can stand strong as a people.

So for those of you unsure of your Taino ancestry as well as those who are sure of it, you must bring to the circle your soul...not your intellect, as that is of no use to the spirit...you see, we are a spiritual people and as such, if your soul does not dance to the beat of the mayowakan...then perhaps you are not Taino. This fact is much stronger than any DNA.

Even when there are still many things to be learned about our cultural heritage, unless you immerse your soul from the onset to accept the ways of the ancestors, then Taino you are not. There are no half measures and no DNA can fix that.

 So engage your spirits, go to Taino ceremonies, respect the way in which we talk to the creator, know and understand that a feathered headdress alone cannot make you a Taino. Know that you may read many books about Taino, but you will not find the Taino you are in the book.

Let your spirit sing the songs of earth mother, dance with other Tainos in your community, be kind to each other and to yourself, reconnect to the teachings of your family elder’s .Feel the spirit of mother earth beneath your feet. Live in the freedom of you are, with love and respect for all life…

and be at peace with it, speak to the spirits of the ancestors from your heart and turn to the winds of the four directions with your soul, and you will find your way home!….Ansihi Bibi Inaru J

~~ 

I want to say Bo'matún to Bibi Ina, as we call her, for this excellent contribution and message. Seneko Kakona!

Tai Pelli