I'm starting my preliminary research which I like to do by understanding the zeitgeist of a topic; in this case, the culture, history and heritage of the Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. This involves getting gathering up as much information that is available through a basic search - youtube, google etc. I'm also cross-referencing what I find with my own personal recollections from high-school history class. What's been most fascinating is the suggested influence and integration of the Spanish Moors into the Taino culture, especially in Jamaica, in the earliest years of first European contact. This is tangential to the topic of spatial organization but it's an eye-opening tangent. It broadens my understanding of the genealogical and cultural make-up of the Indigenous peoples, which I'm now seeing is way more complex than was presented to me. And it also helps to shape my own placement in relationship to the subject - somewhat settling my mind about whether I am studying something that is foreign to me - ie, I am not Taino, therefore I must obtain some form of permission to make a study of this culture and I should question my own advantages and privileges as an 'outsider', potentially coming in to further extract wealth (knowledge) for some selfish and inconsiderate use. Actually now, I realize that the lines of demarkation drawn between Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous-Caribbean are actually imaginary and false. In later recordings, I will share exactly how some of these lines became drawn in the first place, and most importantly, who drew them and why - feel free to guess.
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