thought of her expensive marble tiles and all her plumbing and sighed, it would have been great to flush.
Yuisa met her on the outside of the bathroom; Guani was leaning against a tree looking at her intently.
“What’s Guani doing here?” Ana asked Yuisa.
“That’s not Guani,” Yuisa said, looking behind her. “That’s Macu, his likeness.”
“He has a twin brother?” Ana repeated inanely.
Macu followed them at a distance; he was so much like Guani that Ana had to turn around every other minute to see if Yuisa was mistaken. Unlike his brother, Macu had his forehead flattened but he had the same look of loyalty that Ana had recognized on Guani’s face and he seemed set to follow her for the day.
Yuisa ignored him, so Ana followed suit.
“What are we doing today?” Ana asked eagerly.
Yuisa laughed. “The sign of a true Taino, the eagerness to work. Well, today we will be dying the cloths with dye from the jagua tree. The white liquid is now black and we need to dye the nagua,” she said and gestured to her skirt, “for the Chief’s house, and to make body paint we can store in these clay jars.”
They went to the hut of the second wife, Heketi. She was round with child and had many more children hanging around her. Yuisa laughed and picked up the smallest one.
Ana was trying to count them all and came up with six. Heketi’s mother sat in a corner holding one of the children; a thick plait of hair hung over her shoulder and the little girl in her hands was batting it and giggling.
“The liquid is around the side,” Heketi said, gesturing to the side of the hut, she looked tired. “I fear that this baby will be the end of me Yuisa.” She had tears in her eyes.
“You say that every time,” Yuisa hugged her again, “Oromico fathers healthy children.”
Ana stared at them in awe, why were they so harmonious? They were wives to the same man.
“Do all Taino men have more than one wife?” Ana blurted out.
“No only the chief.” Heketi answered her absently. “Ana, I am sure you are Taino…why the questions?”
Luckily, a little girl, her face covered with a fine, white substance grabbed Heketi’s foot.
“Not the flour again!” Heketi exclaimed. She rubbed her back, her big shine stomach looked obscene in the morning light and Ana couldn’t help staring fascinated by her bulge.
She must be due to have her baby anytime now or else she would probably burst. She finally dragged her gaze away from Heketi and followed Yuisa to the doorway.
Yuisa stared at Ana curiously. “You grew up here, yet you speak as if you are not one of us. As far as I know Ana, your parents were Tainos. What other tribe do you think of when you asked that question?”
What could she say? She remembered vaguely that the Arawaks were divided into groups with varying cultures and languages; the Lucayanos occupied the Bahamas and the Borequinos were in Puerto Rico. “I forget things sometimes,” she mumbled.
“Come,” Yuisa said cheerfully, “let us go and dye clothes for the Chief’s household.”
The sun was just peeping over the horizon, when Ana took the last piece of material out of the black dye that was in a large clay pot. She grimaced as she looked at her nails; they were caked with black stuff. Her hands looked like she was working under a car.
Yuisa was painstakingly carving out patterns that were unique to Oromico’s household. Heketi just sat around, alternately rubbing her back or attending to her children or greeting the frequent visitors that came to her hut.
The village was awake by the time Yuisa and Ana headed to Oromico’s house. She could smell the aroma of food being cooked; children were running around and squealing.
On the slope that led to Oromico’s house a young boy was sweeping the path. Macu, who had given up on following Ana, was picking up leaves behind him.
Women were scurrying with cotton baskets on their backs to their individual plot of land to begin their
Yuisa met her on the outside of the bathroom; Guani was leaning against a tree looking at her intently.
“What’s Guani doing here?” Ana asked Yuisa.
“That’s not Guani,” Yuisa said, looking behind her. “That’s Macu, his likeness.”
“He has a twin brother?” Ana repeated inanely.
Macu followed them at a distance; he was so much like Guani that Ana had to turn around every other minute to see if Yuisa was mistaken. Unlike his brother, Macu had his forehead flattened but he had the same look of loyalty that Ana had recognized on Guani’s face and he seemed set to follow her for the day.
Yuisa ignored him, so Ana followed suit.
“What are we doing today?” Ana asked eagerly.
Yuisa laughed. “The sign of a true Taino, the eagerness to work. Well, today we will be dying the cloths with dye from the jagua tree. The white liquid is now black and we need to dye the nagua,” she said and gestured to her skirt, “for the Chief’s house, and to make body paint we can store in these clay jars.”
They went to the hut of the second wife, Heketi. She was round with child and had many more children hanging around her. Yuisa laughed and picked up the smallest one.
Ana was trying to count them all and came up with six. Heketi’s mother sat in a corner holding one of the children; a thick plait of hair hung over her shoulder and the little girl in her hands was batting it and giggling.
“The liquid is around the side,” Heketi said, gesturing to the side of the hut, she looked tired. “I fear that this baby will be the end of me Yuisa.” She had tears in her eyes.
“You say that every time,” Yuisa hugged her again, “Oromico fathers healthy children.”
Ana stared at them in awe, why were they so harmonious? They were wives to the same man.
“Do all Taino men have more than one wife?” Ana blurted out.
“No only the chief.” Heketi answered her absently. “Ana, I am sure you are Taino…why the questions?”
Luckily, a little girl, her face covered with a fine, white substance grabbed Heketi’s foot.
“Not the flour again!” Heketi exclaimed. She rubbed her back, her big shine stomach looked obscene in the morning light and Ana couldn’t help staring fascinated by her bulge.
She must be due to have her baby anytime now or else she would probably burst. She finally dragged her gaze away from Heketi and followed Yuisa to the doorway.
Yuisa stared at Ana curiously. “You grew up here, yet you speak as if you are not one of us. As far as I know Ana, your parents were Tainos. What other tribe do you think of when you asked that question?”
What could she say? She remembered vaguely that the Arawaks were divided into groups with varying cultures and languages; the Lucayanos occupied the Bahamas and the Borequinos were in Puerto Rico. “I forget things sometimes,” she mumbled.
“Come,” Yuisa said cheerfully, “let us go and dye clothes for the Chief’s household.”
The sun was just peeping over the horizon, when Ana took the last piece of material out of the black dye that was in a large clay pot. She grimaced as she looked at her nails; they were caked with black stuff. Her hands looked like she was working under a car.
Yuisa was painstakingly carving out patterns that were unique to Oromico’s household. Heketi just sat around, alternately rubbing her back or attending to her children or greeting the frequent visitors that came to her hut.
The village was awake by the time Yuisa and Ana headed to Oromico’s house. She could smell the aroma of food being cooked; children were running around and squealing.
On the slope that led to Oromico’s house a young boy was sweeping the path. Macu, who had given up on following Ana, was picking up leaves behind him.
Women were scurrying with cotton baskets on their backs to their individual plot of land to begin their
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