The Jatibonicu Taino People Then and Now (1400 -2001)

By Cacique Pedro Guanikeyu Torres <jttn@TAINO-TRIBE.ORG>,
20 May 2001

Dear Fellow Caribbean Amerindians,

I am very happy to be able to enlighten you as to the continued struggle of the Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation and its people in Puerto Rico and in the United States.

In our ongoing struggle of cultural survival we have been gathering our resources to rebuild our Jatibonicu Taino tribal homeland in the central mountains of Puerto Rico.

Our past and present struggle began back in the 15th century, when our Jatibonicu ancestors under the leadership of Cacike Orocobix (Principal Chief Remembrance of the First Mountain), had taken up arms in the central high lands against the invading Spanish army lead by Don Juan Ponce De Leon, within our Jatibonicu tribal homeland. Many of our ancestors were killed and many other had fled into the foot hills to avoid their capture and enslavement. We have survived even though the colonial authorities and others claim that we do not exist nor survived as a tribal people in Puerto Rico.

Today we stand proud as a tribal nation and people. It was not until the 18 day of November 1970, that our relatives gathered in Orocovis, Puerto Rico to re-establish our own sovereign tribal Government under its own tribal constitution and tribal laws within the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Our struggle as a tribal people continues on to this very day.

I would lastly like to interject by saying that we as a people are not part of any other Taino group, organization, confederation. We further do not recognize our Caribbean island homeland by its present day colonial Spanish name of Puerto Rico, but rather refer to it by its traditional Taino name of Boriken (Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord).

Sincerely yours, Cacike Pedro Guanikeyu Torres, Principal Chief
Office of Taino Tribal Affairs (Tribal Representative)
The Government of The Jatibonicu Taino Tribal Nation