Taino Revival: Critical Perspectives on Puerto Rican Identity and Cultural Politics

by Gabriel Haslip-Viera (editor)

This stimulating and timely collection examines the Taíno revi­val movement, a grassroots conglomeration of Puerto Ricans and other Latinos who promote or have adopted the culture and pedigree of the pre-Columbian Taíno Indian population of Puerto Rico and the western Caribbean. The Taínos became a symbol of Puerto Rican identity at the end of the 19th century, when local governments and nationalistic intellectuals began to appropriate the Taínos for the conception of a socially and racially balanced Puerto Rican society. Activists in the Puerto Rican diaspora revitalized this idea. Modern critics now claim that the Taíno heritage has been canonized through state-sponsored institutions, such as festivals, mu­seums, and textbooks, at the expense of blacks. In the past, officials, alarmed at the black majorities on the other Caribbean Islands, tried to "whiten" Puerto Rican society by calling all people of color Taínos. Others complain that the Taíno revival lost its fervor, evolving from an anti-colonialist movement to a mere fashionable trend. Still, the Taíno heritage remains a central part of Puerto Rican identity in the 21st century.

Genres: Latinx, Nonfiction, Indigenous, History

180 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank goodness for the last chapter, written by a Taíno man, addressing the inexcusable oversights and omissions from the preceding papers. Of the five scholars who’s papers were presented as officially part of the panel, only one —Dr. Dávila— actually interviewed any Taíno people. The attention paid to anti-Blackness in Puerto Rico is necessary and important, but the scholars seem to be unaware of the parallels of anti-Indigenous racism and instead are eager to pit the two oppressed identities against one another, further entrenching the ideals of European white supremacy in the process. Disappointingly un-nuanced in approach to the complexity of Puerto Rican lived identity especially in the context of U.S. colonialism and racism.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was getting into the articles in this collection, and I mean, they were fine. They gave me an insight into one set of viewpoints regarding race and ethnic identity in Puerto Rico. The kicker was the last article though; all others were written by academics. The last was written by a self-identified Taino. He critiqued the other articles and gave input as to how he feels, often in objection to the academics. Overall worth a read, but not the most fantastic book ever written. Sadly, not enough is written about this subject to compare to.