Language of the Voiceless: Traces of Taino Language, Food, and Culture in the Americas From 1492 to the Present
by Leonardo Nin
by Leonardo Nin
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P a g e | 126<br />
(Nahuatl), tunuum (Mixtec—Oaxaca), unup (Huastec—San Luis Po<strong>to</strong>sí), yaga-xeni<br />
(Zapotec—Oaxaca) <strong>and</strong> pisht<strong>in</strong> (Chiapas)” 181 . However, none <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se terms resemble<br />
<strong>the</strong> phonetics <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong> ceiba, seiba or seyba. Still, what is truly remarkable about<br />
<strong>the</strong> Maya <strong>and</strong> Zapotec names, especially, are <strong>the</strong> phonetic similarities with <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong><br />
Yaya creation legend <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> cemí creation described by Fray Ramon<br />
Pané.<br />
Accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> Pané “Yaya was <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong> myth <strong>and</strong> when a person walk<strong>in</strong>g sees a<br />
tree mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> forest, <strong>the</strong>y should ask, who are you? And <strong>the</strong> tree will respond—<br />
br<strong>in</strong>g me a behique <strong>and</strong> I will tell you. After <strong>the</strong> behique arrives, <strong>the</strong> tree -cemi will tell<br />
<strong>the</strong> behique <strong>the</strong> way it wants <strong>to</strong> be carved. Then, <strong>the</strong>y will make harm or good with <strong>the</strong><br />
cohoba ritual” 182 . However, what is truly remarkable about Pané’s description is that <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong> legends seem <strong>to</strong> be <strong>the</strong> eclectic transliteration <strong>of</strong> different comb<strong>in</strong>ed legends about<br />
creation <strong>and</strong> trees mostly l<strong>in</strong>ked <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> Mayas <strong>and</strong> <strong>to</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r groups <strong>of</strong> South America.<br />
Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, Pané mentions <strong>the</strong> name Api<strong>to</strong> <strong>to</strong>ge<strong>the</strong>r with <strong>the</strong> five names <strong>of</strong> Atabey,<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Opía was <strong>the</strong> spirit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dead. Yet, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Guajiro—Wayuunaiki languages<br />
aipa'a means ‘night’ <strong>and</strong> aippia means ‘tree’. It is important <strong>to</strong> note that <strong>in</strong> Mayan,<br />
<strong>the</strong> words associated with death, Chamay baak <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> dead, Kimen sound phonetically<br />
like <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong> cemi, <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> spirit, which accord<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> Pané, is <strong>to</strong> be carved<br />
from <strong>the</strong> tree <strong>to</strong> become an effigy <strong>and</strong> voice <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> spirit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tree.<br />
Based on <strong>the</strong>se l<strong>in</strong>guistic <strong>and</strong> symbolic aff<strong>in</strong>ities found <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir genetic relatives<br />
from Mexico <strong>and</strong> from South America, we can safely state that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong> <strong>in</strong>herited <strong>the</strong><br />
181<br />
(Gr<strong>and</strong>tner, 2005)<br />
182<br />
(Pane, 1498)