Excerpt
Many years ago when buffalo still roamed over the land, an old man, named Spirit Horse Dancing Feather, lived with his people on his vast tribeland called Tainoland. His old age brought him wisdom and a bad back. When he stood up, his hunchback made him stare at the ground. In fact, he was 100 years old. He could barely see. However, he was very active in the functions of his tribe. Tainoland was so huge that his almost unarmed soldiers could not patrol all its borders. Surrounding indigenous people always managed to cross them days and nights.
Life was good there. No matter what, all Taino men and women worked hard to build their land. That’s why it attracted so many foreigners. There was no way of keeping them out.
Tainoland inhabitants paid tribute to spirit Horse Dancing Feather. They loved him
because he was good to them. He treated them when they were sick. He fed them with grain
from the temple’s silos and storage houses. Spirit Horse knew the virtues of herbs. In his tippees, he kept dried leaves in many leather bags that he hung on the walls. He was well-known for his healing powers beyond the borders of his land. Very often, leaders from the surrounding lands would send their sick people for him to treat. Despite his age and his bad eyesight, he never refused to give them treatment because he wanted to maintain peace and good relations with all his neighbors.
Every year, on the first week of Spring, all Tainoland inhabitants came together for the big celebration of “Mother Moon.” They traveled days and nights and crossed creeks and rivers to reach their destination. All of them spent months getting ready for the annual celebration. During the whole year, they put aside their best crops to offer to the spirit of Mother Moon. They prepared their best plate to share with the other revelers. Mother Moon’s celebration was a
time of renewal, commitment and sharing and dedication.
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