The ancient Tainos organized into small tribes each led by a cacique. The island of Boriken (Puerto Rico) housed several of these small bands. Our traditional way of living was lost during the first century of European contact. We were enslaved, decimated and freed. We were given a homeland in the mountains of southwestern Puerto Rico near San German. The homeland, Indiera, has official status during the Spanish colonial period. When the Americans arrived, the government stopped distinguishing Indiera as a place with special status.
Non indigenous peoples in North America survive as a racially homogeneous group. We survive as a racially blended and linguistically diverse people united by a Caribbean homeland. As a community we come together in small but strong groups.
We were the first people destroyed by global trade. Our place in the world is not defined by a quest to be winners in a globalized economy -- rather our place is defined as modern people with a strong sense of communal happiness.