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Guainía Taíno Tribe

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Guainía Taíno Tribe
HeadquartersPuerto Rico, United States Virgin Islands
Location
  • United States
Official language
English, Spanish
Websitewww.guainia-taino-tribe.net

The Guainía Taíno Tribe (Taíno: iukaieke Guainía) are an Indigenous Caribbean community, recognised as a tribe by US Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan Jr.[1]

As they are located outside of the 48 contiguous States and Alaska, they are ineligible for federal recognition as a tribe,[2][3][4] though they claim the right to self-determination as descendants of the broader Taíno people in Borikén (Puerto Rico).[5][6][7] They and other Taíno groups in non-sovereign U.S. territories are represented on the International Indian Treaty Council under the United Confederation of Taíno People. The IITC and UCTP has campaigned nationally and at the United Nations for the United States to recognize such groups.[8][9][10]

Etymology

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The name Guainía comes from the name of the largest Taíno territory on Borikén (Puerto Rico). It covered the southern coastal area of Puerto Rico and into the interior of the island prior to the arrival of Columbus. The word iukaieke means village.[11]

Culture

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The leader (kasike) of the Guainía territory was an important Indigenous leader on the island and a skillful orator in the pre-Columbian era.[11]

As of 2022, the kasike of the tribe is Maekiaphan Phillips.[12]

According to the Guainía Taíno Tribe, Guainía was the historic Arawakan language of the Guainía Taíno which extended across the Caribbean islands and into South America.[11][citation needed]

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In the United States Virgin Islands, the tribe is registered under the name Guainia Taino Tribe of the Virgin Islands and is listed as a domestic partnership with headquarters in Charlotte Amalie.[13] As the USVI and Puerto Rico are considered non-sovereign territories and not states, the Guainía Taíno are ineligible for federal recognition as a tribe.[14][15][16] They assert the right to self-determination as descendants of the broader Taíno people in Borikén (Puerto Rico).[5][17][18] They and other Taíno groups in non-sovereign U.S. territories are represented on the International Indian Treaty Council under the United Confederation of Taíno People. The IITC and UCTP has campaigned nationally and at the United Nations for the United States to recognize such groups.[19][20][21]

The tribe was recognized by Governor Albert Bryan of the US Virgin Islands as an "indigenous American Indian Tribe of the Virgin Islands" on 28 June 2021.[22][1]

In 2022, the tribe was contacted for consultation by the National Park Service of the US Department of the Interior on a project involving the exchange of land.[23]

In August 2022, the tribe cooperated with the Virgin Islands Children's Museum to create a replica Taíno bohío (house) in the museum to "bolster cultural survival and educate visitors about ancestral Taíno life."[12]

Affiliation

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Tribal affiliation is open to "Taíno Tribal Nation" members and persons of Arawak and Island Carib (Kalinago) ancestry.[11]

The tribe is a member of the United Confederation of Taíno People.[11]

Membership

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According to Phillips, the first step of the process for tribal enrollment into the organization is to "have your DNA tested" but that "percentage of Taino DNA" is not relevant as "some people only have oral stories."[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Jr, Albert Bryan (4 September 2022). "Virigin Islands Observance of Indigenous Peoples' Day" (PDF).
  2. ^ "Puerto Rican Indigenous Communities Seek Recognition, Return of Their Ancestral Lands". Global Press Journal. 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  3. ^ "Indigenous Peoples Coordinated Submission: List of Issues and Questions for the periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Committee of the United States of America as a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" (PDF). Centre for Civil and Political Rights. 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  4. ^ "Federal Recognition of Alaska Tribes and Relations with the State of Alaska | Tribal Governance". www.uaf.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  5. ^ a b Haurholm-Larsen, Steffen (2016). A Grammar of Garifuna. University of Bern. pp. 7, 8, 9.
  6. ^ "Iukaieke Guainia: Guainia Taino Tribe". guainia-taino-tribe. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  7. ^ "Taino | History & Culture | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  8. ^ Lee, Joseph (2022-05-02). "Indigenous Taíno of Puerto Rico take their fight for visibility and rights to the UN". Grist. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  9. ^ "IITC Announces new Board President". International Indian Treaty Council. 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  10. ^ "The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reviews the United States and questions its record of racial discrimination against Indigenous peoples". International Indian Treaty Council. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  11. ^ a b c d e "History / Historia | Guainia Taino Tribe". guainia-taino-tribe. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  12. ^ a b "New Exhibit At The Virgin Islands Museum Exploring History And Culture Of Indigenous People In Territory". viconsortium.com. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  13. ^ "GUAINIA TAINO TRIBE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS (TN0120928)". Lieutenant Governor of the United States Virgin Islands. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  14. ^ "Puerto Rican Indigenous Communities Seek Recognition, Return of Their Ancestral Lands". Global Press Journal. 2019-10-14. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  15. ^ "Indigenous Peoples Coordinated Submission: List of Issues and Questions for the periodic review by the United Nations Human Rights Committee of the United States of America as a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" (PDF). Centre for Civil and Political Rights. 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  16. ^ "Federal Recognition of Alaska Tribes and Relations with the State of Alaska | Tribal Governance". www.uaf.edu. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  17. ^ "Iukaieke Guainia: Guainia Taino Tribe". guainia-taino-tribe. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  18. ^ "Taino | History & Culture | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  19. ^ Lee, Joseph (2022-05-02). "Indigenous Taíno of Puerto Rico take their fight for visibility and rights to the UN". Grist. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  20. ^ "IITC Announces new Board President". International Indian Treaty Council. 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  21. ^ "The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reviews the United States and questions its record of racial discrimination against Indigenous peoples". International Indian Treaty Council. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  22. ^ a b "USVI Taino Chief Seeks Members". St. Thomas Source. 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  23. ^ National Park Service (August 2022). "Virgin Islands National Park Potential Land Exchange with the Government of the Virgin Islands for Public Education Environmental Assessment". Retrieved 14 May 2023.
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