Become a member

Language Magazine is a monthly print and online publication that provides cutting-edge information for language learners, educators, and professionals around the world.

ā€• Advertisement ā€•

ā€• Advertisement ā€•

Recognizing Language Disorders in Multilingual Children

Communication is a human right, in any and all languages. Children of all backgrounds start communicating from birth, though this communication looks and sounds...
HomenewsIndigenousIndigenous TaĆ­no of Puerto Rico Take Their Fight to the UN

Indigenous TaĆ­no of Puerto Rico Take Their Fight to the UN

Gristā€™s Joseph Lee reports on TaĆ­no efforts to advocate for environmental justice and language preservation

Puerto Rican TaĆ­no representatives recently attended the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York to call attention to their situation.

ā€œIf weā€™re not getting visibility or any kind of recognition at the national level, we have no choice but to take it outside and try to build that visibility for our people,ā€ said R. MĆŗkaro AgĆ¼eibanĆ” Borrero, president of the United Confederation of TaĆ­no People.Ā 

The TaĆ­no people are indigenous to the Caribbean and live in Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the US Virgin Islands, and more. When Christopher Columbus made landfall in 1492, the TaĆ­no were the first people he met. Today, Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the US, which means that it is neither an independent country nor an official state. Puerto Rico has a nonvoting member of Congress and does not have electoral college votes in presidential elections. Because of this colonial relationship, the TaĆ­no have few platforms to make their concerns heard.Ā 

International forums like the UNPFII are a rare opportunity to directly engage with officials from the US and other countriesā€”providing space for the TaĆ­no to advocate for policies that will help their communities. ā€œThere is a narrative that TaĆ­no people were wiped out,ā€ Borrero said. ā€œSo, we have to make statements at the international level, to say ā€˜wait a minute, we are here.ā€™ā€Ā 

Andrea Carmen, Yaqui Nation and executive director of the International Indian Treaty Council, says that Puerto Ricoā€™s political status presents challenges for the TaĆ­no. ā€œWhat makes them unique is they are still residents of a colony,ā€ she said. Carmen added that, like the TaĆ­no, most Indigenous peoples around the world also lack state recognition, which makes the UNPFII and other international venues even more important in their fight for rights.Ā 

The United Confederation of TaĆ­no People called attention to TaĆ­no language revitalization efforts, which will lead to the publication of the first classic TaĆ­no dictionary and grammar guide later this year. Borrero noted, however, that the International Decade of Indigenous Languages must not overlook Indigenous Caribbean languages and called on the Permanent Forum to give special attention to insular Caribbean Indigenous peoples, including those in both self-governing and nonself-governing territories.Ā In a statement to the forum, Tai Pelli, another representative from the United Confederation of TaĆ­no People, highlighted the environmental and climate crises facing Indigenous peoples in Puerto Rico. Increasingly powerful storms have destroyed homes and driven many from the island, while illegal toxic waste dumping and military waste contamination are also serious issues. On the island municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, the US military conducted weapons testing for over 60 years, leaving unexploded ordinance and dangerous chemicals behind. ā€œIncreasing cancer rates and other noncontagious diseases are a direct result of the environmental injustices our people confront every day,ā€ Pelli said.Ā 
Pointing to luxury hotels and other development projects on culturally significant sites like the Dry Forest and the Caguana Ceremonial Center, Pelli called on the UN to confront the issue with UNESCO, which oversees some of the sites, and demanded a review of UNESCOā€™s protected areas mandate and greater transparency. ā€œThe wrath of greed and uncontrolled development are beginning to seem as dangerous as the hurricanes, earthquakes, and pandemic that we are still trying to survive,ā€ she said.

ā€œWeā€™re not only raising the visibility of who we are within the US,ā€ she said. ā€œWeā€™re also raising the visibility of our people for other Indigenous peoples so that we could build that solidarity regionally and internationally.ā€

Language Magazine
Send this to a friend