Exhibit Celebration: Caribbean Indigenous Resistance: Taíno Live On! / Resistencia indígena del Caribe: ¡Taíno Vive!

• Event Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025
• Time: 2:00 pm–4:00 pm (CST)
• Location: Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL

• Performance
• Exhibit-Related tag

Join us for a performance by La Escuelita Bombera De Corazón to celebrate our spring exhibit, Caribbean Indigenous Resistance: Taíno Live On! / Resistencia indígena del Caribe: ¡Taíno Vive! The performance will be followed by a reception catered by El Paraiso.

This exhibition tells the story of the Caribbean from the perspective of Indigenous survival and resistance. It is dedicated to affirming Taíno life and valuing Indigenous knowledge for the people of the Caribbean and beyond.

The interactive performance will give a comprehensive introduction to the oldest musical genre in Puerto Rico known as Bomba, established by the island's African descendants. La Escuelita Bombera de Corazón from Humboldt Park, Chicago, is a grassroots arts and music education organization founded by Ivelisse Diaz in 2009 with over 30 years of experience in Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba, committed to preserving, teaching, and performing Afro Puerto Rican music!

Caribbean Indigenous Resistance: Taíno Live On! / Resistencia indígena del Caribe: ¡Taíno Vive! is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of the American Latino.

This exhibition received federal support from the Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the National Museum of the American Latino.

Cleopatra Tatabele, an Afro-Taíno powwow dancer and two-spirit person. Two-spirit is an Indigenous way of describing people whose genders combine male and female roles or appearances. Tatabele uses the pronouns she or they. Photo by Michelle Groskopf (Mgroskopf@mac.com (email link))