TAINO HERITAGE CAMP hosts Areyto Day
THE TAINOS were the people who were living in Jamaica when the Europeans, led by Christopher Columbus, arrived here in the late 1400s.
Over a short period of time, hundreds of the Tainos died. Others fled to the interior, where they were to be joined by Africans who fled plantation and pen slavery. Africans were brought across the Atlantic to replace the dwindled Taino population.
Though the Tainos are the race of people represented on the Jamaican Coat of Arms, it is widely felt that they were all killed. Yet, over the past few years, it has been revealed that people of Taino ancestry are still living here.
And there are two entities on the island that are preserving and promoting the Taino heritage and culture. One of them is the Taino Heritage Camp (THC).
The Taino Heritage Camp, located on Eden Hill, near Jack’s River in St Mary, is operated by the Gregory family and is marketed as “Jamaica’s first interactive Taino village”.
Visitors are engaged in activities that the Tainos participated in such as storytelling, dancing, face painting, camping, a ball game called Batey, and wrestling.
“The park has a strong collaboration with a number of Taino groups and organisations. This has ensured that the guests get an authentic educational experience,” the THC said. The programmes and activities are designed for schools, families, and corporate groups.
On Thursday, May 31, the camp hosted its annual Areyto, a day of fun and celebrations. There were tours of the property, participation in Taino dances, wrestling demonstrations, and an exhibition of Taino artefacts mounted by the Institute of Jamaica.
One of the highlights of the day was the judging of the mask competition. Some students turned up with masks that they were challenged to make. Out of six finalists, Kevorn Callum of Ferncourt High School in St Ann was declared the winner.
Callum was congratulated by education minister Senator Ruel Reid, the keynote speaker, who toured the property.