On November 21, 2021, we had the great pleasure to speak with Kasike Kalaan. He is the Kasike Taino Chief for the Jamaican Hummingbird Taino People, member of the Council of Ancestral Indigenous Medicine of the Americas, and the main organizer for the Caribbean region Peace and Dignity Journeys.

Kasike Kalaan said that leadership is understanding the desires of your community. How best can you elevate your people? With that in mind is to think ahead for seven generations. You need to constantly be thinking “where will this path lead our people”. It is also to leave as a legacy a roadmap, a vision for the following generations on where they should go to construct a guidance that will allow the future generations to know that they were being considered generations before they were even born.
He mentioned that all the indigenous communities in the Americas have one thing in common, a prophecy where they all gather and through their light they help the world to realign and the symbolism of that is considered the meeting of the eagle and the condor, the former representing the people of the north and the latter the people of the south. And when they fly together is when we will find the balance and direction. Thus, the Peace and Dignity Journey starts in Alaska and Argentina. People from indigenous communities in these locations walk towards the opposite pole and they meet somewhere in the center where they share experiences and knowledge and support each other.

Kasike Kalaan called the youth to take action, “to look out, pay attention, connect with organizations and with indigenous NGOs” and highlighted that “there is a lot of work that requires young minds and hands and feet on the ground”. Moreover, he told the indigenous youth to know that it is ok to acknowledge that there were setbacks for their people as well as trauma. He asked them not to compare themselves with other communities or societies that were built on the backs of their ancestors from slavery. To know and be grateful to their ancestors for the sacrifices they made in order to protect their culture and the next generations and to honor the spirit within themselves.

He pointed out that indigenous people have been the caretakers of nature since time immemorial. They understand when something is wrong and also how to right those wrongs. He told us that there are many nature-based solutions for current problems faced by societies. But the latter are unaware of this and tend to diminish indigenous people’s ancestral knowledge.

Finally, he asked society to pay attention to indigenous communities, to open spaces for them to be heard, and to consider their knowledge so they can contribute to reestablishing the balance that the planet once had with the environment.

About our guest speaker

Socially, Robert “Kalaan” Pairman is first and foremost a Behike (Taino medicine man) and was chosen and appointed Kasike (Taino Chief) for the  Yamaye Guani (Jamaican Hummingbird Taino People) .  He now walks with the Taino name “Nibonrix Kaiman”.

Kasike Nibonrix Kaiman is a member of Consejo de Medicina Ancestral Indígena Originaria del Abya Yala (Council of Ancestral Indigenous Medicine of the Americas). He is the Main organizer for Caribbean Region Peace and Dignity Journeys which is an inter-tribal spiritual run connected to ancient prophecies of the Americas, member of “ Responsables Espirituales Originarios del Guyrapoi, Kuntur, Quetzal, Aguila and Warawao” (R.E.O.G.K.Q.A.W) with responsibility for maintaining traditional ceremonies in the Caribbean and sits on Y.C.O.I.L (Yamaye/ Jamaica Council of Indigenous Leaders).