In the last few days, I have been thinking about my mother's words, "May is the month of flowers"... this phrase resonated deep within me while the image of Anakaona grew in my imagination until it occupied all the space. Golden Flower is the meaning of her name.
Anakaona was born in Yaguana, in the chiefdom of Jaragua, today the city of Léogâne in Ayiti. A prominent cacica and extraordinary artist, she choreographed dances for the Areitos and composed poems and songs that were part of the oral culture of her people.
Kaonabó, the cacique of Maguana, and Anakaona, who was married to him, co-ruled this cacicazgo. He also exercised power over the Jaragua cacicazgo in 1500, after the death of her brother Bohechio, who was the cacique.
A few years after becoming the cacica in Jaragua, she was captured in the fall of 1503 in what went down in history as "La Matanza de Jaragua," a colonial raid ordered by the Spanish governor Nicolás de Ovando. Anakaona would have been between 30 and 40 years old when she was sentenced to death by hanging. He was survived by his daughter Higüemota, whom he had fathered with the cacique Kaonabó.
Flor de Oro occupies a unique place in the hearts of Haitians and Kiskeyans insofar as it has been elevated to a guiding spirit in the popular religions of the island. In Kiskeya, thousands of people visit her annually in La Agüita de Liborio or La Agüita de los Indios, where she lives, transformed into a crab in her small cave. People bring offerings to her, make their requests, and receive relief and healing through her spirit's sweetness and healing powers.
In this month of flowers and mothers, I want to pay homage to our beloved Anakaona, Flor de Oro, and recognize her as the indigenous mother of the women of Kiskeya and Ayiti. In doing so, I highlight the legacy of wisdom, empowerment, talent, courage, compassion, love, and honesty that she left ingrained in every woman on the island.
Many Blessings,
Akutu Irka
Book recommendation: The Royal Diaries series, Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 by Edwidge Danticat (Haitian – American writer)
Music recommendation: Anacaona by Irka Mateo
