Anacaona Read online

  CONTENTS

  TITLE PAGE

  DEDICATION

  HAITI 1490

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  TOBACCO HARVEST SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  FULL MOON, DAY 15

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 16

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 17

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 18

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 19

  GUAVA PLANTING SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  FULL MOON, DAY 15

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 16

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 17

  LATER

  YUCCA HARVEST SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  FULL MOON, DAY 15

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 16

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 17

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 18

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 19

  THE CORN HARVEST/RAINY SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  FULL MOON, DAY 15

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 16

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 17

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 18

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 19

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 20

  THE SUNNY SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 20

  MAGUANA 1491

  MY FIRST MAGUANA SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 15

  LAST QUARTER MOON DAY 16

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 17

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 19

  SEASON OF THE PEANUT HARVEST

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  HALF MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 16

  MY HIGUAMOTA SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 20

  MAGUANA 1492

  THE WINDY SEASON

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  FULL MOON, DAY 15

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 16

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 17

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 18

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 19

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 20

  OUR SEASON OF WAR

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  LATER

  STILL LATER

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  HALF MOON, DAY 5

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  FULL MOON, DAY 15

  LAST QUARTER MOON, DAY 19

  EPILOGUE

  LIFE IN HAITI IN 1490

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  ALSO AVAILABLE

  COPYRIGHT

  Unlike most other young women of the Royal Diary series, Anacaona did not read or write and would not have kept a diary in the traditional sense of written accounts of her daily life. Anacaona’s Taíno people, however, had many other ways of recording things crucial to them. They passed on their stories, myths, cultural practices, and ways of healing through songs, dances, and ballads that were performed at their feasts and celebrations, called areitos. Even though the Taínos had no written language, they had petroglyphs — rock paintings and pictographs through which they kept records of their lives. Additionally, the Taínos measured time through agricultural seasons and a lunar calendar, and did not count beyond twenty — their number of fingers and toes. To present the story of this brilliant Taíno woman leader in her early adulthood, we have imagined her thoughts and experiences and how she might have kept track of them using a twenty-day lunar cycle. We hope some sense of her own wisdom and that of her people is conveyed in this fictional story of the real Anacaona.

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 1

  I am Anacaona.

  In my language, the Taíno language, ana means “flower” and caona means “golden.” Thus I am called the “golden flower.” I have received a great gift from Cuybio, the weaver of my uncle, who is the cacique, or supreme chief, of Xaraguá. (Out of respect, we call my uncle Matunherí, which means “Most Highest One.”) Cuybio has found a way to blend cotton buds into a hard fabric on which I can record my stories, ballads, and some other kn
owledge that is important to our people. He has seen me many times carving symbols on the plaza walls outside the temple and has remarked that he must find yet another manner for Matunherí’s niece, one of Xaraguá’s possible future rulers, to record these symbols.

  My older brother, Behechio, has already reminded me many times that this is a very important offering Cuybio has made to me and I must resist the temptation to use Cuybio’s creation in its entirety by sunset.

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 2

  As is our custom, my mother and I began our day with a bath in the river. Before sunrise, the river is clear and tranquil, and as we put our feet in, both Bibi and I were able to see our reflections floating on the surface, then slowly widening and moving away from us in a ripple of expanding rings. Just then I had a vision that we were receiving a message from the opia, the spirits of our vanished ancestors, preparing us for something to come.

  I have been having these visions since my head came up only as high as Bibi’s knees. Now our heads almost touch when we stand close to one another in the river, scrubbing our skins with cleansing digo plants.

  In between the pebbles in the riverbed lie chunks of golden stones, which have been carried down from the mountains with the river flow. When the sun shines on these shales, they glow in such a way that they seem to be trying to prove their own brilliance to the sky. Before our bath, Bibi and I stopped to collect a few. Later, we flattened them, looped them on cotton ropes, and wore them around our arms and legs. Soon I will come to a season in my life when I will be a siani, a married woman, like my mother.

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 3

  There have been several births in the villages, the most notable being the child of Cuybio’s younger sister, Yeybona. Yeybona was born only a few moons before me. I heard many of those who gathered in the front of my uncle’s house to speak of the birth of Yeybona’s son whisper that it will soon be the turn of Matunherí’s niece and likely successor, me, to bear children.

  Of course I will do this, but my time has yet to come. I have not blossomed as quickly as Yeybona has. She is a flower. I am a sea grape, still clinging to the branch.

  Because Yeybona is like a sister to me, I went to see the baby immediately. He is a marvel. His skin is smooth and nut brown. Already his eyes are wide open and he looks up at the thatch canopy above his hammock.

  My father, who is one of the most skilled craftsmen in Xaraguá, has made the special gift of two small wooden boards and cotton bands to Yeybona, so that she can wrap them around the baby’s head to flatten it. At birth all of us must wear these boards. Once they are removed, our foreheads no longer jut out, but slope up in the same way that the tops of our houses slant skyward. This flattening makes us not only more beautiful but also less likely to be overcome by blows to the head when we are older.

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 4

  Many of the new babies were brought to Matunherí’s house so he could see and bless them. In his role as the supreme chief, my uncle is considered the father of all who live in Xaraguá. Our birthright — inherited through my uncle’s and my mother’s mother — dictates that either Behechio or I are to one day rule Xaraguá, so Behechio and I assist Matunherí in such tasks as greeting the new babies and their parents. It is always a joy to welcome new life to Xaraguá, a pleasure we enjoy with almost every moon.

  FIRST QUARTER MOON, DAY 5

  The name Yeybona and her husband Piragua have chosen for their son is Nahe. Since both Yeybona and Piragua love the sea, and since Piragua’s name means “long boat,” they have chosen to name their son after the oar we use to row our canoes.

  I visited young Nahe again today and in honor of his name whispered in his ear our story of how the sea was made.

  Yaya, our supreme ancestor, had an evil son, Yayael, who tried to kill him. His life being in danger, Yaya had no choice but to have his son killed. Since he still loved his son so very much, Yaya put his bones inside a gourd, which he hung from the roof of his house.

  One day, missing his son, Yaya told his wife to take down the gourd so he could see the bones. As the wife took down the gourd, fish and sea turtles swam out of it. Yaya’s wife was so surprised that she dropped the gourd, and when it broke into pieces, the water that came out was enough to cover all the dry places on the earth.

  Nahe seemed to like this story. He waved one little hand in the air as I told it. He will surely hear this story again many times, and in more detail, as he grows older.

  HALF MOON, DAY 6

  The moon never deceives us.

  In the sky above us,

  There are beings who light their fires at dusk,

  Just as we do.

  At sunrise, we do not see them,

  But they see us

  And they marvel at all our trees.

  And because the trees please them,

  They blow on them.

  And when we are hot,

  They blow on us.

  And when they are sad,

  Their tears fall upon us

  And make our flowers grow.

  And at sunrise, they put their fires away,

  Just as we do.

  I sang my new ballad for my father — I call him Baba. Baba, Bibi, and Behechio all say I must perform it for Matunherí at the next feast. Behechio is making a new drum, a mayohaboa, to accompany me. This drum is so booming and resonant that our elders call it “the voice of the gods.”

  HALF MOON, DAY 7

  Bibi was bitten by niguas, those shrewd little insects that pierce through the skin and lay their eggs in you. It must have happened while we were taking our morning bath. She is suffering from a painful itch.

  Almost everyone is bitten by niguas on their feet, but my mother has the scourge on both arms. I have seen many in the villages bent over in agony, scratching their feet. At least Bibi does not have to bend to scratch.

  HALF MOON, DAY 8

  Bibi has been scratching so much that both her arms are now very swollen. Baba sent for Bayaci, our healer, to examine her. Bayaci has been my mother and father’s healer since before I was born. He has great knowledge and will know what to do.

  Bayaci ordered a purge for Bibi. She will drink many blended herbs, which will force the niguas’ poisons out of her body. While he is treating Bibi, as our tradition dictates, Bayaci must take the same remedies he gives her. He also scratches his arms as though he, too, had been bitten by the insects.

  I feel very sorry for Bibi, because she seems to be in so much pain. But I am sad for Bayaci as well, who must experience all our illnesses before he can even try to cure us. What difficult work it is to be a healer! I am glad I was born in my family and not Bayaci’s, but I don’t know what we would ever do without him. How would a family of rulers survive without a family of healers?

  HALF MOON, DAY 9

  Bayaci’s purge worked. Even though both Bibi and Bayaci were greatly weakened by it, neither is scratching anymore. Bibi’s first act since she regained her strength was to have a new hammock made for herself to replace the one she lay in while she had the itch. That one will be burned in case there are any insect eggs in it.

  HALF MOON, DAY 10

  I watched a duck hunt with my father, brother, and uncle today. In the future, I may sing a ballad about this hunt. To catch the ducks, the duck hunters float empty gourds downstream toward the ducks. Once the ducks are used to seeing the gourds, the hunters put gourds over their heads and, their bodies submerged under water, swim to the ducks. Then the duck hunters reach up to catch the ducks by their legs.

  To my ballad, I will add a few riddles:

  Are the ducks not aware of the gourd-men?

  Do the ducks consult each other about these gourd-men?

  Why, after all this time, have the ducks

  not learned to flee the gourds?

  When I posed these questions to Matunherí, who is the wisest man in Xaraguá, he asked me to remember that the ducks caught by the duck hunters never return to their flock.


  FULL MOON, DAY 11

  Bayaci has made amulets for Baba, Bibi, Behechio, and myself, amulets against niguas and other pests. These amulets are not like our usual wooden or stone amulets, but are herbs that are meant to repel insects. It is understandable that Bayaci does not want any of us to be sick, as he has to suffer through each and every treatment with us.

  FULL MOON, DAY 12

  The tobacco harvest is coming to a close in many of our villages. Several new pipes have been offered to my uncle and he has given many of them to my father. My uncle has also received cigars and chewing tobacco from the nitaíno subchiefs in our villages. He likes to smoke his pipes while he is thinking of answers to difficult problems, and since he must solve many problems, large and small, for the people of Xaraguá, Matunherí thinks and smokes a great deal.

  FULL MOON, DAY 13

  Wearing our new herbal amulets against niguas, on Matunherí’s orders, Behechio and I went fishing with Piragua. My uncle wants Behechio and I to know how everything is done in Xaraguá — from planting to hunting and fishing — so that when either one of us becomes the supreme chief, and people come to us with their problems, we will know what to do.

  I was glad to be in Piragua’s canoe, in the sea. Though my name comes from the land, I believe myself to be a person of the sea. The sea stories, Yaya and Yayael’s especially, are the tales I most like to listen to and recite.

  Piragua is a very able fisherman. He pours into the sea a brew made from the barbasco plant. The brew makes the fish sleepy and helpless: They float to the surface and we gather as many as we wish into our nets.

  FULL MOON, DAY 14

  We greeted another group of newborn babies from the villages. Perhaps it is not the tobacco harvest season but the baby harvest season, as we have had more babies born in the villages this season than any other. After Matunherí had welcomed and blessed the babies, to amuse the mothers I told the story of how frogs had come to be.

  While playing by the river, a group of small children lost sight of their mothers and began calling “Toa, Toa,” one of our many words for “mother.” The river, which could not safeguard children as well as it could other types of water animals, turned the children into frogs, but even after the children became frogs, they continued to call out “Toa, Toa” after their lost mothers.