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 | 132<br />
Yanomami <strong>of</strong> Venezuela <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> word u turere > ‘<strong>to</strong> produce waves’ or even related <strong>to</strong><br />
utuai > ‘<strong>to</strong> stretch’. Utuai is also used <strong>to</strong> describe ‘a l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>of</strong> people follow<strong>in</strong>g one<br />
ano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> a long l<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> jungle’. The image below is from <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ta<strong>in</strong>o</strong> archeological<br />
site La Cueva de Sanabe, Dom<strong>in</strong>ican Republic. In this possible representation <strong>of</strong> an<br />
arey<strong>to</strong>, <strong>the</strong> pic<strong>to</strong>graphic sketch <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> image appears <strong>to</strong> be wav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> arm <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> same<br />
symbolic mean<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Yanomami word. To <strong>the</strong> left <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dancer, <strong>the</strong>re is <strong>the</strong> draw<strong>in</strong>g<br />
<strong>of</strong> someth<strong>in</strong>g that could be <strong>in</strong>terpreted as <strong>the</strong> image <strong>of</strong> a maraca.<br />
Pic.51 Arei<strong>to</strong> pic<strong>to</strong>graph from Hoyo de Sanabe Cave 192<br />
Based on this image, <strong>the</strong>re seems <strong>to</strong> be a connection between maraca, ceremony<br />
<strong>and</strong> arey<strong>to</strong> dance. However, what surprised me about this word was its early adoption<br />
by <strong>the</strong> colonial Spanish population <strong>of</strong> San<strong>to</strong> Dom<strong>in</strong>go.<br />
In fact, <strong>in</strong> a reference from Dom<strong>in</strong>ican his<strong>to</strong>rian Rober<strong>to</strong> Cassa from his citation<br />
<strong>of</strong> a trial <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jeronimian Interrogations <strong>of</strong> 1517 we are presented with a unique<br />
w<strong>in</strong>dow <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> vernacular Spanish <strong>of</strong> Hispaniola prior <strong>to</strong> <strong>the</strong> conquest <strong>of</strong> New Spa<strong>in</strong>.<br />
The text states <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g:<br />
Testigo Romero, loc. cit., quien dice: "...les acontece de cada dia que por un<br />
an<strong>to</strong>jo que les den s<strong>in</strong> mirar lo que adelante dello se puede seguir determ<strong>in</strong>an de<br />
192<br />
(Johnson)