The JNHT marks Taino Day
May 05, 2009
The Jamaica National Heritage Trust, for the past two years has invited the public to join the organization in observing Taino Day on May 5. It is a day established on the organisational calendar to educate Jamaicans, in particular youngsters, about the island's earliest inhabitants, how they lived and the legacy they left behind.
The tradition continues this year with a commemorative lecture at Devonshire, Devon House, Kingston today at 11:00 a.m. Guest speaker is Dr. Basil Reid, a Jamaican author and lecturer in Archaeology at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. Dr. Reid will speak on 'Myths Realities and Caribbean History'. Members of the public are invited to attend.
The JNHT in collaboration with Dr. Reid will officially launch the book 'Myths Realities and Caribbean History' later in the evening at the same venue where copies will be on sale. The book, among other things, debates the misuse of terms such as "Arawak" and "Ciboney" and the validity of Carib cannibalism allegations.
There will also be two other lectures for the day, the first at The Mico University College on Maurescaux Road and the other at St. Josephs Teachers College. The organisation has printed posters on the Tainos to be used as learning aids.
Other Taino Day activities include an open house at Seville Heritage Park in St. Ann where persons can view the exhibitions in the plantation house and in the Taino village. Seville in St. Ann was the site of a Taino village called Maima. In addition, it was also the site of the first Spanish settlement. It was the first Spanish capital of Jamaica.
The first Taino Day was celebrated at the Seville Heritage Park and saw over 2,000 persons in attendance. There were also two Kalinago students from the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies, who represented their heritage by displaying craft items from their community and speaking about their history and way of life
