黑料吃瓜网 has officially become the first state in the U.S. to formally recognize the contributions of native Caribbean people, according to the Higuayagua Ta铆no of the Caribbean tribe.
On the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month, a group of Caribbean Latinos gathered at the Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center in downtown Waterbury to hear a reading of . They鈥檙e Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans who are proud descendants of the Ta铆no people.
Kasike Kalatauma wore a blue feathered headdress, and his face was painted in lines and dots.
鈥淚 have my paint, the red for the blood and the black to honor our ancestors,鈥� he explained.
As 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 resolution was read to the crowd Wednesday, Kalatauma stood with other members of the . On one side, he held the hand of his young daughter, who is in the next generation of the tribe. On the other, he lifted a large conch shell to his lips and blew.
Kalatauma, who now lives in Boston, was born Felipe Rosario in Puerto Rico, or Borik茅n, but he mostly goes by his Ta铆no name since reconnecting with those roots in his 20s.
鈥淚 grew up with my grandmother [and] my great grandmother, and they used to tell me the trees that they used to make the house,鈥� Kalatauma said. 鈥淚 got to see how they used to make and everything.鈥�
Casabe is the Ta铆no flatbread. It鈥檚 made with the staple Caribbean root vegetable yuca, or cassava, so is naturally gluten-free 鈥� and crunchy.
鈥淏ut if you asked them if they were indigenous, they would have said no,鈥� he said.
This is a common story for many Puerto Ricans who grew up before modern genetic testing.
黑料吃瓜网 State Rep. Geraldo Reyes said he didn鈥檛 know about his own Ta铆no lineage until he was in his 40s.
鈥淲hat I don't want is my children and my grandchildren to have to say the same thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are proud borinquens. We are proud Ta铆nos. We are definitely proud Boricuas, but it is past time the Ta铆nos got the recognition that they're due.鈥�
Reyes co-sponsored the resolution, which recognizes and aims to preserve the state鈥檚 Taino history. It suggests partnerships with cultural organizations, educational initiatives and language revitalization efforts.
Reyes and other bill sponsors will be headed to Texas to tout the move at an upcoming national gathering of Latino legislators.
鈥淲e're going to push 17 other states to at least introduce it and see where it goes,鈥� he said.
Meanwhile, Reyes said Massachusetts lawmakers have , and a Rhode Island representative told tribal members he has language in the works.
