Tribal Protocol(s)

Tau ti da yahono/Greetings my family,

It's been a while since I've corresponded with our tribe, especially since the month of April when Covid postponed our gatherings etc. Since the Covid, everyone's lives seemed to have been turned upside down, people in our tribe have been as of late getting attacked physically and spiritually with family dilemmas including illness, death, financial issues etc. It's gotten so bad that the council as well as general enrollees can't concentrate or include tribal life with us in their daily lives. It is my intention as leader to energize and empower all of our tribal family and give support anyway we can, but I will be honest in telling everyone that it will take not only our councils, leaderships, and or allies but it will take each and everyone of us to take active roles and empower each other so that we not only survive our current statuses but to thrive for it is not just the head of the eagle but the entire body of the bird to fly. If anyone has any questions, or suggestions or are willing to help in any way even if you are not sure how, you may contact the council to discuss your level of participation to care for our family just as our ancestors intended. The following are NEW TRIBAL PROTOCOLS, GUIDELINES, NEWS, UPDATES, that are designed to bring aid, support and clarification to our members.

The Tribe of Yaya Guaili Ara Taino Yukayeke is NOT A social club, theme club, pastime club, cult, religion, or anything frivolous etc. It is a tribe of individuals and families, from all walks of life (Native Indigenous descendants) (while being a diaspora) who are working together, and doing for each other as a living incarnation and continued legacy of our ancestors and ancestral heritage of the Native Indigenous people of the Caribbean and South America. These are principles that dictate the protocols for tribal membership *(see continued narrative bottom of this document).

If anyone has any questions, or suggestions or are willing to help in any way even if you are not sure how, you may contact the council to discuss your level of participation to care for our family just as our ancestors intended. Our offices at

2462 Devoe Terrace, uite 3 Bronx., NY, 10468.

Telephone 646-548-4079,

Email: Yayaguailitainotribe@gmail.com

Oma Bahari/Respectfully

Tuxao: (Chief - Cacique) Jose TureyCu Lopez (Ayonbanan)

Yukayeke Aidiakütahü Kürükoyahü Lukuno Ya’Ya
(Honorable Village [of] the Tribal Family of the Creator’s Grandchildren
also known as "The Taino Yukayeke Ya’Ya’ Guaili Ara")

Director and Founder JAL COMMUNITY VISIONS INC

EIN: 47-2261783

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NEW TRIBAL PROTOCOLS, GUIDELINES, NEWS, UPDATES, that are designed to bring aid, support and clarification to our members
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The Tribe of Yaya Guaili Ara Taino Yukayeke is NOT A social club, theme club, pastime club, cult, religion, or anything frivolous etc. It is a tribe of individuals and families, from all walks of life (Native Indigenous descendants) (while being a diaspora) who are working together, and doing for each other as a living incarnation and continued legacy of our ancestors and ancestral heritage of the Native Indigenous people of the Caribbean and South America. These are principles that dictate the protocols for tribal membership *(see continued narrative bottom of this document)

PROTOCOLS FOR MEMBERSHIP:

Tribal life means living for each other in a tribe, (as family) some tribes as in our case (Arawak) call this family Yohono (one sweet family) or as our northern (Lakota) relatives would say Mitakuye Oyasin (All my relations) and contributing to this family based on each person's gifts, talents and skills to use them to uplift the tribe in a positive way, everyday, some natives referring to this as "the sacred hoop" living the way the Creator intended with love and respect for your fellow man, woman and child this including nature and all its elements and all that is in the universe which is why the following protocols and mandates are strictly adhered to:

TRIBAL MEMBERSHIP NOTICE:

Notice: Our Tribe does not require its members to pay any registration fees or membership fees,
however tax deducted donations are gladly appreciated for such things as general office supplies, office rental,
mailings, newsletters, ETC.

Our Tribe does require however that all tribal members must participate in one or more of the following
ways to maintain membership status and must make it clearly known what that participation will be and at what level. If there is no level of participation of members and no legitimate reason for non participation (legitimate reasons being: Illness, or we have no communication from members stating as to why there is no participation, members will be put on list for consideration for disenrollment from tribe. Participation includes:

Presence: Participate in events and activities when and where applicable

Prayers: Please pray for us and for this tribal family.

Witness: Tell your friends, relatives, associates and neighbors about what you are
experiencing. Invite them to come with you to activities and events.

Service: Volunteer for set-up, ushering, greeting, facilitating, hospitality, or singing and cting
activities. Join us in one of our small group social justice events and activities. There are
many ways to serve depending on your personal talents and tribal needs!

Contact: Call us, Email or Postal mail us to inform of us of your status and level and
manner of participation

Gifts: You are invited to participate in giving during events.
Or you can mail financial donations in the form of checks or money orders to:

JAL COMMUNITY VISIONS INC.
C/O Jose A. Lopez
Please note: All financial contributions are tax deductible under 501©3 not for profit status EIN: 47-226178
TD Bank Routing 026013673
ALL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTORS WILL BE SENT TAX CREDIT RECEIPTS
email : JAL_Enterprise@yahoo.com
Contact us at yayaguailitainotribe@gmail.com

GO FUND ME PAGE, SOU SOU FUND, TRIBAL TRUST (TBA)

The following are mechanisms being put in place for those in the tribe that are experiencing financial hardships.

A Go fund me page is going up soon to aid members and support the needs of the tribe.

Sou Sou Fund: A susu or sou-sou or asue (also known as a merry-go-round[1]) is a form of rotating savings and credit association, a type of informal savings club arrangement between a small group of people who take turns by "throwing hand", as the partners call it. The name is used in Africa (especially West Africa) and the Caribbean.[2] The basic principle is that each member of the group makes a standard contribution to a common fund once per some time period. Then each period the total contributions are disbursed to a single member of the group. The recipient changes each period in a rotating fashion such that all the members of the group are eventually recipients. Participants of a susu do not make a profit, but receive their contributions as a lump sum and is a forms of savings clubs

Tribal Trust International is designed as a non profit trust fund organization whose monies are allocated from outside profits, outside donations, fundraising etc and are set aside for needs of all global tribes and tribal organizations that have Non profit status, who will submit proposals for these grants. Tribal Trust International is a resource for indigenous people worldwide. Our goals are to: reduce poverty and injustice; promote international cooperation; and advance human achievement. A fundamental challenge facing every society is to create political, economic and social systems that promote peace, human welfare and the sustainability of the environment on which life depends. We believe that the best way to meet this challenge is to encourage initiatives by those living and working closest to where problems are located; to promote collaboration among the nonprofit, government and business sectors, and to assure participation by men and women from diverse communities and at all levels of society. In our experience, such activities help build common understanding, enhance excellence, enable people to improve their lives and reinforce their commitment to society. Tribal Trust International is one source of support for these activities. Grants made available through Tribal Trust International will be geared towards: Arts, Children and Youth, Community Building and Renewal, Economic Development, Education, Environment, Government Oversight and Reform, Human Rights and Civil Liberties, Media, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Poverty and Hunger, Race and Ethnicity, Religion, Rural Issues, Women's Issues. Tribal Trust is to be the vehicle for Native Americans to build on their dreams of self– determination and to realize the following goals:

1) Reclaim ancestral heritage.

2) Reconstruct and restore Native American Nations and tribal identities.

3) To bring about official global recognition to tribes that are declared extinct, but still exist through her global descendants.

4) To gather in love, honor, respect, peace, education, spiritual enrichment, empowerment, and, most of all, to remember and honor our Native American ancestors of the Caribbean Americas and practice their ways.

5) To educate our children of their heritage, especially focusing on the indigenous culture, as well as all aspects of Native American and culture IE: African Culture, Mestizo Culture etc..

6) To end the atrocities perpetrated on Native American People as a whole, IE: Military Bombing of Viequez Island and other atrocities.

7) To end the destruction, desecration, and selling of ancestral artifacts, IE: The selling of Native American artifacts on the internet IE: EBAY and other venues of purchase.

8) To preserve and protect our ancestral burial grounds, ceremonial grounds and the environment.

9) To promote and research Native American Genealogy and history.

10) To share with the world all of the beauty and colors of our heritage and history.

11) To protect and defend our Native American people as a whole.

12) To promote and leverage Native American self -determination and cultural awareness.

13) To build our own cultural center where Native Americans can have leverage to educate and employ themselves. If there is anyone that wishes to help with the Go fund me page we'd like to hear from you.

WEBSITE AND INTERNET PRESENCE

Our current website has gone through its paces but we are working on its improvement by providing more information, more historical content for students and other inquisitive minds and interactive platforms and adding internet channels. If anyone has any other ideas to improve it we welcome your input. If there is anyone that would like to volunteer and join the team to improve the website, we'd like to hear from you.

PROTOCOLS REGARDING COUNCIL SEATS: (TBA)

OPEN FLOOR: EMAILS WILL BE SENT TO ALL OUR GENERAL MEMBERS INFORMING THEM OF THE OPEN POSITIONS AVAILABLE AND WILL BE ALLOWED TO PETITION FOR A SEAT. NEW CRITERIAS WILL BE SET FOR THOSE SEATS. EACH POSITION WILL HAVE A VICE POSITION TO ENSURE THAT THE PROGRESSIVE FLOW OF ACTIVITY IS NOT STUNTED OR HALTED DUE TO ILLNESS, TRAGEDY. OR OTHER REASONS. Anyone wanting to run for office must petition the council

PROTOCOLS REGARDING TRIBAL NAMES:

Many have requested to be given tribal names, but we must make it very clear what that means in our community. From what we were taught by our ancestors, getting blessed with a name is so important and not to be taken lightly. The name reflects who you are as a person spiritually revealing your best positive attributes, spiritual gifts etc. Once given a name which is typically given (depending on the particular native people) either by a tribal elder or leader or in some cases by the inner circle of the tribe or even by the tribe as a whole, they are NOT "pet names" or "nicknames" and they are neither bought nor sold, nor given out recklessly but is taken most seriously. The name is your spiritual name and you must live that name as a sacred one.

These names (depending on the protocols of the particular tribal community), are given with some type of ceremony. In our particular community Yaya Guaili, we conduct the naming ceremony with water, blessing smoke, fasting and traditional name exchange ceremony (Guaitiao).

In light of the recent social situations with Covid and other situations which have made social and spiritual gatherings a challenge, we have to adjust these protocols until it is safer to conduct these ceremonies. For now we will conduct naming ceremonies virtually. An interview where a tribal member has personal discussion with a tribal chief (Cacike) or Medicine person (Behike) revealing the personality and spiritual stance of the member so that then afterward the Behike or Cacike can take this interview and meditate and reflect on it with the help of ancestral teachings reveal the spiritual name.

There are other protocols that are being recalled back into the Guaitiao ceremony that will be addressed soon but for now a virtual Guaitiao interview and ceremony will suffice.

If a member wishes to obtain and be blessed with a spiritual name, they will have to consult with the Cacike or Behike and agree on a time for the Reveal discussion and then execute the rest of the traditional protocols.

UNIFORMITY:

On The Issue of Tribal Colors and Regalia

(SEE EMAIL ATTACHMENT)

We Taino people wore practically nothing more than 500 years ago. With this new era, we must change just like the rest of the world. Many of our new members may have different colors and or motifs according to their clan. As long as designs maintain the Taino style, we see no problem. While some Indian tribes wear artificial feathers, we will try to wear real feathers that have fallen, not plucked, from birds raised from licensed bird sanctuaries and aviaries. While regalia is a personal expression, it is also an important part of our identity and part of what makes our tribe recognizable to the public and to each other being kin which is why we suggest the below uniform regalia protocol so we are all dressed similarly. If there is anyone that wishes to volunteer to help make these regalia for members please let us know. "Natives wear regalia for many reasons and in many different styles according to their tradition.. We've always felt that the original and true regalia of a person is the naked soul. This is the regalia that we should keep as the most colorful, brilliant and pure of all! After reading this verse of scripture we see that our feelings might have been true. We thank the Creator for his teachings."-"Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them."----Mark 7:15

NOW TAKING ORDERS FOR TRIBAL NAGUAS

Naguas are all custom to the person’s height and regalia guidelines

Naguas are made from an off white medium weight cotton twill fabric and will be double panel (back and front) one in front with color Jacquard trim and Yucayeke logo.
Back panel is blank.

Naguas are one size fits most since they come with an elastic band.

Naguas are $40 which cover the cost of the materials, and shipping
I’m not charging for labor but if a member would like to compensate me for my labor I will. I’m open to receiving tips….
Please see pics
If anyone has any questions regarding the nagua, they can email me at
Mrsmadelinejackson@gmail.com

https://www.yayaguailitaino-tribe.com/abarukonu

REGALIA AND TRIBAL COLORS

Colors: Primary color is White, with additional Blue, Black, and Red trim and accessories

Motifs:

Taino Petroglyphs, Frog face, front view, hawks, eagles, turtles, hummingbirds, macaws, and other large to medium-sized parrots. More symbols can be found online.

Staff:

Walking stick, 6 feet high, made from a cut tree, tribal motifs and feathers attached. Rattle attached with leather straps and feathers.

Headband:

Tribal color and feathers. Headband is permitted, or hair tied behind the head with a ponytail and feather also maintains our tradition.

Necklaces:

Cowry shells, Camandula seeds (Job’s tears), Ojo de buey (ox eye seed), huayruro seeds

MENS REGALIA

Shirts: Long sleeve white cotton with tribal colors, streamers, and motifs.

Pants: White, with tribal colors and motif streamers or adorned with grass and grass leggings.

Sandals: Light brown in color or white

Combinations are permissible

Girl's and Boys & Young Single Men and Women’s Regalia:

Young and single Boys and Girls and Women and Men wear the short white nagua (LOIN CLOTH) to the knees painted in black or red Taino petroglyph images, or grass skirt with breast top or shirt. Or a combination.

Female Elders and Leaders Regalia:

The women of the leadership, such as Nytaino, Behike's and Elder or Married women wear the long nagua or grass skirt to the ankle. Tribal color and or petroglyphs images can be added for beauty to the nagua in front or side trimming. The tops for both are short or long sleeve white shirts/blouses.

The children wear a one piece white cotton shirt to the knee with a V cut neck called "cota" in Spanish. Can add a belt with fringe on tribal colors

*The Yukayeke Aidiakütahü Kürükoyahü Lukuno Ya’Ya (Honorable Village of the Tribal Family
of The Creator’s Grandchildren) are also known as "The Taino Yukayeke Ya’Ya’ Guaili Ara."
We are a Tribal band of migrated and indigenous families and individuals descended from Taino
and Arawak Peoples of the Greater Antilles (Islands of Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic,
Cuba, Jamaica and other territories), who met Columbus at First Contact, and who are currently
living throughout the world. The Taino Yukayeke Ya’Ya’ Guaili Ara, which is one of the phrases
in our Native language by which we self-identify, translates as “Village of the Creator’s Noble
People.”

Our band comprises mostly Taino Boricua (Valiant People of the Sacred House) families and
individuals from the Island of Boriken (Land of the Valiant and Noble Lord), today known as
Puerto Rico, but we have also embraced those Tainos and Arawaks from neighboring Greater Antilles who have enrolled.

On April 21, 2012, these Taino descendants desiring to re-establish tribal traditions and families,
wrote and voted on a tribal constitution, voted on a flag design and elected a Principal Chief
(Cacike).

On June 8, 2013, during the Yaya Guaili Ara Taino Yukayeke 1 anniversary celebration and st
Areito ceremony – and as provided in Taino tradition by the women and mothers of the tribe –
an individual was blessed as Principal Chief.
The flag of Yukayeke Aidiakütahü Kürükoyahü Lukuno Ya’Ya, a.k.a. Yaya Guaili Ara Taino
Yukayeke, was created and shows the Tribal motto: "Busica Da Natiao Yucca Choreto," which means "Give My
Brother Yucca Abundantly." It represents the famous “Guaitiao” (Friendship) tradition of
generosity, love, and respect that our ancestors practiced, and which we their descendants have
vowed to continue and be united with our tribal families – loving, aiding and respecting them
with everything we have.

The Blue ring and the blue field represent the waters that our ancestors crossed to arrive in the
Caribbean and also represents The Sky (Turey) where Ya’Ya (the Creator) lives.

The Red-and-Black fields represent spilled Blood and Sacrifice made by our ancestors defending
their homeland against the invasion of 1492 by Christopher Columbus.

The Yellow ring represents Father Sun (Guey) that nurtures our people.

The central Planet Ring represents our Mother Earth. (Atabey,)

The Brown ring represents the People.

The Two Green leaves in the blue ring represent the leaves of the sacred Ceiba tree from which
many Taino derive food, medicine and shelter.

The Two Taino petroglyphs, one in the center New York state, the other in the yellow ring,
represent the symbolic record of our history and culture left by our ancestors, the Taino Boricua
People, in the caves of Boriken (Puerto Rico)

The Seven Blue Macaw parrot feathers represent Seven Taino Nations and the Taino territories
of Boriken, (Puerto Rico), Ayti Kiskeya (Haiti, and Dominican Republic), Xamaica, (Jamaica) Cubanacan (Cuba), Trinidad and Tabago, Yucatan.

The seal is surrounded by a rope to form a DreamCatcher, representing the ties of solidarity that

bind all Native Peoples.

The large center Green Island represents the location in New York state of the newly established
band of Taino Yukayeke Ya’Ya’ Guaili Ara.

*For many years our communities have had to fight against historical inaccuracies of our culture and myth of our extinction and had to fight to remove these myths from literature, dictionaries, almanacs, school books etc. But now we are faced with a new level of monumental disrespect as people from other countries including our own who are posting videos and other publications of various media platforms that are misrepresenting, and disrespecting causing the destruction, racism and discrimination of our communities’ worldwide. Our indigenous Taino women are being portrayed as whores and sexual play things and are disgracing the memory of our mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties, grandmothers, great grandmothers etc. negatively affecting our Taino communities and all native people as a whole universally. These types of misogynistic videos promote disrespect, hate and violence towards our native women. Promote disrespect and xenophobia for indigenous people and the sexualizing of our native women. These are just a few more reasons why life in our tribe is taken so seriously and guidelines are observed so strictly.

If anyone has any questions, or suggestions or are willing to help in any way, you may contact the council at our offices at 2462 Devoe Terrace suite 3 Bronx NY 10468. Telephone 646-548-4079, Email: Yayaguailitainotribe@gmail.com

Oma Bahari/Respectfully

Tuxao: (Chief - Cacique) Jose TureyCu Lopez (Ayonbanan)

Yukayeke Aidiakütahü Kürükoyahü Lukuno Ya’Ya
(Honorable Village [of] the Tribal Family of the Creator’s Grandchildren
also known as "The Taino Yukayeke Ya’Ya’ Guaili Ara")

Director and Founder JAL COMMUNITY VISIONS INC

EIN: 47-2261783