Why we are gathering
Colonization devastated communities, disrupted traditional institutions, suppressed languages and spiritual practices, displaced people, and attempted to erase Taíno identity through violence, assimilation, and generations of colonial rule.
Today Taíno people live throughout Caribbean homelands and a worldwide diaspora. Here in Minnesota, we are finding one another.
This statement expresses the Founding Circle’s purpose and perspective. Our learning library will provide reviewed sources and context for historical and scientific claims.
Our purpose
The Minnesota Taíno Founding Circle is a temporary organizing effort bringing Taíno people together to determine collectively whether and how to establish a permanent community.
We begin with relationships: listening, gathering, learning, and making room for families and future generations.
WHAT GUIDES US
Our founding principles
We are Taíno.
Our culture belongs to our people.
Our children matter.
Our Caribbean homelands matter.
Community comes before titles.
No individual speaks for all Taíno people.
Knowledge deserves care.
Our relatives deserve respect.
Taíno identity should not be treated as a commodity.
Taíno people organizing in Minnesota should maintain respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples whose ancestral homelands are in Minnesota.
Our Caribbean homelands & Minnesota
Our Caribbean homelands remain central to our families, cultures, and connections. Living in Minnesota adds another place where we can build relationships and care for one another.
We seek respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples whose ancestral homelands are in Minnesota. We do not claim to speak for them or imply an affiliation that has not been established.
What we have not yet decided
Permanent governance, leadership titles, enrollment standards, organizational structure, and affiliation have not been predetermined. These decisions belong to the community.
This effort is not currently a federally recognized tribal government, permanent Taíno council, tribe, iukaieke/yucayeque, or nonprofit organization.
