Tau Bo Ara’! (Hello Great People),

Your Support:
This 2022 year has been our most eventful, beautiful, and prayerful year yet! And we are not quite done. In these next few weeks before the New Year (yes, the New Year is right around the corner), we have a significant amount of work that needs to be completed and supplies to be gathered in order to close for the season. 

We are in need of firewood and kindling for our last two sweats; the blankets and rugs are to be washed from their year’s worth of prayers; and several other supplies to be gathered to tend and clean the tents, walkways, and insulating the Maloca. 

Our fundraising goal is $900 on our GoFundMe page: Taino Woods Rising. We are on our way there, and with your contribution, of any monetary amount, we will surely be ready to properly close for the season. We are so grateful for all of your help in supporting Taino Woods Sanctuary and our dreams. 

Purification Lodge Ceremonies:
In honor of the seasonal changes of Autumn and Winter and their ties and resemblances to the cycle of Life and Death, we are hosting two purification lodge ceremonies – clima permitting. 

• Saturday November 12th
• Saturday December 3rd (Our final one for the year) 

Our Drumming/Song Tekina Circles and Fire Keepers will meet on the Friday and Saturday evenings of these ceremonies to practice and commune. 

Email us at Tainowoodsny@gmail.com with your interest. 

Please bring a prepared dish to share. (All prepared dishes should need to be ready to be warmed rather than cooked on site.) 

In the New Year:

Spring: 

• We are praying for the build of our Tipi we purchased last year! Keep your eyes peeled in the near future for updates and opportunities to volunteer in building this exciting addition to TWS! 

• We will be hosting a Medicine Drum Birthing Ceremony on Saturday April 29th 2023 with DRUMDOULA. Start now and register to experience the magic of birthing your own medicine drum click here: Medicine Drum Birthing Ceremony — DRUMDOULA. Registration will remain open until Saturday April 22nd 2023. Space is very limited [only 18 seats total].

Summer:  

• June: Behike Miguel Sague has fallen in love with Taino Woods Sanctuary (and we can’t blame him). He is interested and excited to return; with his great teachings and gifts; and his offering of a Summer Solstice Danza! This is an incredible opportunity to celebrate in the masculine energy that is the Summer, but also to bring balance to us and the Land as our Autumn Equinox Danza was a feminine celebration. In the weeks ahead, we will be seeking a headcount of those who may be interested. (We are SUPER excited!)

• We have met with a wonderful drum-birther who has offered to help us in seeking a Powwow drum for the community. A 36-inch buffalo hide drum of which he has offered to teach us how to properly care for and utilize. We are growing, Tribe! 

• We are also in communication with a local drum maker who has offered to teach our drumming circle techniques. Stay tuned!

A Special Thanks:
To Our Beloved Nancy Eagle Spirit Woman who poured our Dia De Los Muertos Purification Lodge this weekend; Nancy Eagle Spirit Woman is a Taíno elder from Boriken who blessed us with her presence and shared her extensive knowledge of the Lakota & Taíno traditions. We truly enjoyed every minute of her deep transformative healing. Nancy, you captivated us with your storytelling, wisdom, support, and Love. Bo Matum to our Bibi! And may Yaya bless you abundantly! Praying that you are feeling as fortified as we are – Aho!

A special note from Chantel and Jesse:
I wanted to share a message I received from Spirit a few weeks ago in the Caribbean:
“Without Unity, there is no Prosperity”

It’s good to ask ourselves from time to time: 
Am I prosperous? If so, why? If not, why? 

As we wait to re-unite, we hope you are enjoying the marvelous colors of this Autumn as “the trees show us how beautiful it is to let go.”

Until next month,
Han Hankatu! 
(Let It Be So)