Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections, 2015.196.709c, Connecticut Historical S ...

Dance of the Mountain People by Roberto Múcaro Borrero

PerformerPerformed by Roberto Múcaro Borrero (Taíno)

Date1994

Mediumreformatted digital file from audio cassette

DimensionsDuration (side 1): 16 Minutes, 42 Seconds Duration (side 2): 14 Minutes, 58 Seconds Duration (total runtime): 31 Minutes, 44 Seconds

ClassificationsInformation Artifacts

Credit LineConnecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program collections

CopyrightIn Copyright

Object number2015.196.709a-d

DescriptionCommercially produced audio cassette tape with music by Roberto Múcaro Borrero. The album is titled "Dance of the Mountain People El Baile Del Jibaro: Music of the Taino Arawak Musica Taina." Melanio Gonzalez and his son played on this. The tape was collected by CCHAP for the "Herencia Taina: Legacy and Life" Project.

Side 1 contains the following songs:
1. el baile de la iguana
2. el baile de la medicina
3. canción de caguana
4. el baile de baibrama
5. el lamento de agueybana

Side 2 contains the following songs:
1. el baile del mucaro
2. el baile de las hupias
3. el baile del jibaro
4. el baile del korokote
5. canción del carey

NotesBiographical Note: Roberto Múcaro Borrero is a musician, instrument maker, and official representative of the General Council of Borinquen Tainos, now called the United Confederation of Taíno People US Regional Coordinating Office. Based in New York City, he also serves as Chair of the NGO Committee on the United Nations International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. His blog and frequent posts are seen on The Voice of the Taino People Online and in June 2022 he discussed his work with other Taino activists on the Native America Calling radio program. His research and performances investigate and express the cultural and historical significance of Taino music. He was a project consultant, participating artist, and speaker in the CCHAP Herencia Taina project in 1996-1997.

Subject Note: "Herencia Taina: Legacy and Life" was an exhibit and related programs examining the history of Puerto Rico's indigenous people, the Taino through contemporary art expressions and interpretations, on view May 3-November 30, 1997 at the Institute for Community Research.

ICR's Connecticut Cultural Heritage Arts Program, in conjunction with project scholar Ruth Glasser and designer Ricardo Mulero, planned an exhibit, workshops, and concert to present a wide range of arts practiced by musicians and visual artists who are inspired by Taino heritage. Participating artists included Imna Arroyo (Eastern Connecticut State University), Graciela Quiñones (West Hartford), Mel Gonzalez (Meriden), and Robert Borrero (New York), who created contemporary interpretations and folk art works illustrating Taino heritage, such as musical instruments, gourd carvings, paintings, and textile art, as well as interpretive information for these. Their works were juxtaposed with Taino artifacts from archaeological collections, along with photographs and posters from the continuing indigenous festival held in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, to show the strong influence that Taino culture still holds for Puerto Ricans. The exhibit project also presented several public events including a concert, a workshop for teachers, and a roundtable discussion. An illustrated brochure in both English and Spanish was produced. The project was supported by the Connecticut Humanities Council, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and the Institute for Community Research.

The heritage of the Taino Indians is often proudly proclaimed by Puerto Ricans as one of the three strands of their multi-racial society. What that heritage consists of, how much of it has survived, and its relative importance in the overall culture of the island has been a hotly debated topic for centuries. The Tainos, indigenous people living in Puerto Rico when colonists arrived in the late 15th century, provide an example of the politics and complexities of interpreting a culture which has only a small present-day community and no living language, but is both remembered from the recent past and still represented in blood lines, place names, some everyday practices, and spiritual and political inspiration.

Recreated musical instruments made by members of the group Cacibajagua, including Melanio Gonzalez, showed how contemporary Puerto Ricans have been both adopting Taino heritage and basing their work on serious study of archaeology and indigenous materials. Cacibajagua demonstrated their music at a concert on May 1, 1997, at Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford.

Additional materials exist in the CCHAP archive for this artist and this project.

Cataloging Note: This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-245929-OMS-20.

Status

Not on view