When the yuca plant is harvested it dies and in death it manifests its ultimate destiny, to feed the people. The soul of the Taino's most important food item, Yoka Hu, is the very spiritual manifestation of LIFE itself because Life depends on the success of the yuca harvest. Yoka Hu is an agricultural plant spirit (his name means "Soul of the Yuca Plant"), a spirit that represents the natural life-cycle of a plant, from cultivation to harvest. That is the actual date when Yoka Hu dies and crosses over. We in the Caney Circle recognize two major ceremonial dates during this season of Yoka Hu's transition and crossing-over: The first ceremonial date is the date of Fall Equinox itself, usually around the 20th or 21st of September. Finally in the Spring Equinox Yoka Hu is re-born from his mother's womb and the cycle begins all over again. There he awaits rebirth during the dry Winter months, a period of time which, in the Caribbean, hold very little rainfall and constrain the ability for plant-life to regenerate. The watery realm of Coa Bay is also associated with the round spherical interior of the tropical higuera gourd.Īn ancient Taino legend in which the bones of a dead youth interred in a gourd turn into sea-water and fish indicates the way in which ancient Tainos identified the higuera with the watery underworld womb of Mother Earth.Īt Winter Solstice, this powerful male spirit overcomes the rigors of Death and Hardship that characterizes the hurricane-driven late Summer and Fall. Yoka Hu goes there to be finally re-united as a germinal embryonic being with his mother's uterus. He descends to the watery underworld at the center of Ata Bey's womb called "Coa Bay", a place that can be accessed spiritually through sacred caves. The fact that the ancient Tainos were keenly interested in the transition of the four seasonal high- points including Autumnal Equinox is evidenced by the work of scholar Angel Rodriguez in Caguana Ceremonial Center The Autumnal Equinox represents the moment when our beloved Life Spirit, Yoka Hu begins his journey to the realm of the dead. He rises to full maturity and strength at Summer Solstice and then decilnes during the stormy, hurricane-blown weeks at the end of the summer season to finally die at the Autumnal (Fall) Equinox. We believe that YokaHu is born of his Earth-and-Water Mother, Ata Bey, at Spring Equinox. We believe that Yoka Hu, the male spirit of Energy and Life has a Life-Cycle just like any living entity. This season represents a special stage in the ceremonial cycle of the cemies as seen from the perspective of the Caney Spiritual Circle. In behalf of myself, my family and the whole Caney Indigenos Spiritual Circle community I want to wish all of you a blessed Autumnal Equinox.
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