I had been admiring the Caribbean indigenous pottery made by this talented artist for years. I always wished to visit him someday, as he hardly ever leaves home. I let the desire float in the air and continued, immersed in the spinning world. However, this summer, life took a surprising turn and I finally got the opportunity to visit Daniel Silva Pagan in Vieques.
Many years ago, I visited this small island to the east of Boriken. Luis Dias, the pioneer of Dominican alternative music, and I performed at the Museo de Nuestra Raíz Africana in old San Juan. Unfortunately, it has been closed for a decade now. Later that night, we attended a party at the home of Antonio Cabán Vale ("El Topo"), an iconic figure who is a poet, singer-songwriter, and Puerto Rican political activist.
The following day I journeyed to Vieques with Luis, El Topo, and my new Puerto Rican friends to participate in one of the last protests against the United States Navy's use of the island for weapon testing and bombing exercises. It was a significant moment in history (2002) and the collective efforts of people ultimately led to the Navy's departure from Vieques the following year.
Twenty years later, I had the honor of being invited to the Taino Conference in Boriken which brought together Taino scientists, artists, and spiritual leaders from the islands and the diaspora, making it another historic and memorable event. While organizing my trip, I realized that it would be an excellent opportunity to visit Daniel, and that's exactly what I did.
Through collaboration and spontaneity, a group of individuals came together to make my journey to Vieques possible. My friends Ra and Yacely took me to the port of Ceiba to catch the ferry, and they arranged for Lisa to pick me up there. Similarly, Daniel made arrangements with a person named Iboguaní, whom I did not know either, to provide me with accommodation in his house during my stay. He even purchased my ferry ticket and sent it to me via WhatsApp. Soon I learned that Iboguaní and Lisa are the behike and tekina of the Yucayeke Taino Boriken. Gypsy is their cacique and they do their educational and ceremonial work in Vieques. I felt extremely well taken care of and received their kindness with gratitude.
I was thrilled to travel on the ferry, the vastness of the sea and the gentle sway of the canoas beneath me filled me with a sense of wonder and freedom that cannot be found anywhere else. I come from a long line of seafarers on both sides of my father's maternal line. My great-grandfather, a Catalan who emigrated to Bayahibe to the east of Kiskeya, built and commanded ships. During summers, he crossed the Atlantic in a canoa that he had constructed himself, taking his family to destinations as far away as Europe, in the 1800s. On the other hand, fishermen of Taino heritage, also from Bayahibe, have been learning ancestral techniques of fishing and building canoas for hundreds of years, generation to generation. They honed their skills and fished during the day and under the full moon's light at night.
Finally, I arrived in Vieques, everything went smoothly. I was warmly greeted by a new family that I was meeting, and with whom I would spend the next two days. Our shared passion for the Taino culture brought us together and created a strong bond between us.
Lisa went to look for me at the port, and later I found out that she was a Puerto Rican Dominican. She then took me to Iboguaní's house where I was pleasantly surprised to find Daniel waiting for me. Iboguaní's culinary skills shone through as he presented a mouth-watering feast to commemorate our meeting. Daniel and I had a phenomenal encounter that left us feeling inspired. I had brought him a series of cultural gifts, Taino and mestizo ones. Among other things, I gifted him ceremonial tobacco, cassava, orange candy, larimar stones, and a "macuto" that left him impressed.
The very next day, we embarked on our journey to Daniel's house. Along the way, we encountered a group of majestic horses blocking the road. Despite the delay, we took the opportunity to pause and appreciate their beauty before continuing on our path. It's truly a remarkable experience to witness the wild horses freely roaming around Vieques, adding to the island's unique and cherished landscape.
Daniel's pottery-making technique piqued my curiosity, and that morning at his house he kindly offered to show me how it was done. I was taken aback by his mastery and finesse in handling the clay and sculpting the ancestral figures with precision and care. His hands have been creating remarkable indigenous pottery for 40 years, and it certainly showed in his work. Before leaving his house, he gifted me one of his pieces. I cherished it from the start and it now holds a special place in my home in Los Angeles, California.
In the afternoon, he would lead a workshop at "La Colmena Cimarrona" - which practices solidarity economy, agroecology, and beekeeping, a project managed by three dedicated women. I was leaving the next day and during the workshop Daniel gifted me a piece of the clay we had been working on, saying that I could take it home with me. However, I didn't have enough space in my luggage, and he suggested that I send it by mail instead. So, after arriving in Boriken, I went to the Las Piedras post office and sent the clay on a journey from the Caribbean to the west coast of the United States. Despite my doubts about the package's safe arrival, the clay finally made it to California, filling me with a rush of excitement and joy. Upon opening the package, the scent of Vieques mud triggered a wave of memories that brought back that extraordinary afternoon in the workshop.
As I held the clay, I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of appreciation for its worth. I was startled when I realized that she was talking to me. I listened attentively, afraid that she was homesick and wanted to return to the island. However, I was surprised to learn that what she really wanted was a unique transformation - to become a ceramic piece inspired by the styles of Vieques. With a mix of compassion and excitement, I agreed to her request, hoping to make her feel at home, surrounded by my love and warmth, here, with me in Los Angeles.
