Posts

Jamaica’s 7+ Storylines

Image
©  by Michael Auld Although next to the Indigenous Yamaye Taíno epics , Anansi the Spider-Man stories are the second oldest tales in Jamaica. Added to this, the island has 7 other types of Traditional Stories This blog is intended to introduce the reader to my Jamaican homeland's storytelling tradition. Some links are to additional relevant in-depth information.  The Northern Caribbean's largest Taíno islands are my  Yamayeka  or Jamaica, the third largest. It   is   the size of Connecticut and is 90 miles south of Texas-sized, Spanish-speaking Cubanakan or  Cuba. And 334 miles south of Cuba's eastern next-door island is its second-largest neighbor, the French-Creole-speaking Ayti Bohio or  Haiti.   Haiti is 232 miles east of the big island of Cuba whose coastline is just 90 miles south of the American coast of Florida, a place that the Teksta  Taíno  had called  Bimini,  their northernmost Bagua or Caribbean Sea territory which they had settled around 800 BC, just 20
Post a Comment
Read more

Taino Creation Story

Image
 ART THAT INFORMS Our Yamaye Story: What we may not know... Top : The early Taíno were excellent artists.  Here  Guabance x as the Taíno Hurakan or hurricane with their example of her ceramic image on the sculpture's hands. (Wall sculpture by the author) . Below : A Maya glyph of Ixchel, goddess of childbirth . Used by Washington, DC’s now-closed iconic   Fondo del Sol, Museo Multicultural as their logo for 40 years. We have changed Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday of October. And November is National Native American Heritage Month. But is this enough? Question: What do you know about Amerindian History and Culture?  This  should be the burning question especially answered during National Native American Heritage Month… and beyond!  So here through art , is an overview of the first people of the Encounter period whose culture had the greatest impact worldwide beginning in the 15th century. We still enjoy many of their gifts.  Just think “ barbecue ”, “
Post a Comment
Read more

The Iconic Spider-Man

Image
Anansi the Spider-Man is Jamaica's  Main Traditional Storyteller Anansi  superimposed over the Jamaican flag and the Asanti/Ashanti Eye of God image.  He wears a Rastafarian  Lion of Judah  T-Shirt showing that he is irie . AnansiStories  by Michael Auld have no age limits. Swapping these Jamaican stories since childhood,  he has written, illustrated, and told these folkloric tales to students in various classrooms and other venues.  Above : The Author's illustration of Anansi , Bra' Tiger and their love interest in front of her house. From the live story that I narrated on the YouTube link  titled: " ANANSI AND TIGER RIDING HORSE " Teachers can contact me by email  if interested in an educational session on Zoom .  Kweku Anansi is an Akan and Jamaican folkloric character whose first name, Kweku means Wednesday's child. He has many names , but the original Ghanain title represents a spider, which Ananse , or Anansi , and depending on where you are it is also
Post a Comment
Read more