Paper short abstract:

The usage of mixed methods approaches to trace crop histories through time can serve towards reconnecting/recovering ancestral Taíno knowledge. On this paper, the case of Maís, Yuca, and Batata within the island of Borikén will be presented as examples.

Paper long abstract:

Currently, the claim of ancestral Taíno heritage remains unrecognized for Caribbean peoples due to the indigenous extinction myth post late 15th century by diseases/colonization/enslavement. However, during the 1970s the Antilles witnessed a strong resurgence of individuals reclaiming their ancestral Taíno heritage, and various yukayekes have been working towards revitalizing language (Canchibalo), spirituality (Guatu-Ma-cu A Borikén; Sacredtainohealing), medicine (salvajeysilvestre), artistic crafts (Taller Cabachuelas), and repatriation of ancestors (Jornada indigena de Borikén). The subject of Taíno culinary practices is understudied, which in turn has created the assumption that modern Caribbean cuisine received little to no influence from them (Díaz de Villegas 2004). Furthermore, archaeological research in the Caribbean has remained on species identification, with little attention to meal reparation processes. Thus, echoing Sherrat (1991) and Fuller & Rowlads (2011) there is a need to start seeing food as “meals” rather than species. Therefore, the usage of a mixed methods approach that incorporates ethnobotany, archaeobotany, experimental archaeology, and historical sources is an effective way towards recovering ancestral knowledge across the Caribbean. Thus, in this paper, the results of tracing the histories of various indigenous crops within the island of Borikén will be presented to demonstrate how applying a mixed methods approach contribute towards reconnecting/recovering the knowledge of our sleeping “abueles”.