4th Annual Taino Remembrance Day
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Join the Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center and the Higuayagua Taíno of the Caribbean – Connecticut Chapter for our Fourth Annual Taíno & Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a gathering of remembrance, cultural celebration, and ancestral honor along the banks of the Naugatuck River.
Together, we will honor the Taíno people, the First Peoples of the Caribbean, whose lives, communities, and ancestral homelands were devastated by European colonization. We will also remember the Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas who suffered displacement, violence, and the destruction of their traditional ways of life.
Our ancestors were decimated, but we were never extinct. We are still here.
Today, Taíno descendants continue to reclaim, preserve, and celebrate their ancestral traditions, cultural practices, languages, and spiritual connections. This gathering is both an act of remembrance and a declaration of Indigenous survival, resilience, and cultural continuity.
Honoring the First Peoples of Mattatuck
We are honored to extend an invitation to members of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribal Nation, a state-recognized Indigenous nation in Connecticut whose ancestral history is deeply connected to the lands of western Connecticut. As well as express gratitude to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Haymarket People's Fund and CT Lead for funding our 2026 Taino Learning Community Year.
As we gather in Mattatuck, the Indigenous homeland now known as Waterbury, we acknowledge the original stewards of this land and the enduring presence of Connecticut's Native peoples.
A Sacred Gathering Along the Naugatuck River
This year's commemoration will take place beside the Naugatuck River at Platts Mill Park, where we will come together in ceremony, reflection, and community.
Our gathering will feature:
~ Calling of the Seven Directions: A ceremonial invocation honoring our connection to the land, waters, sky, ancestors, and the spiritual world. (We respectfully ask for no recording of this ceremony.)
~ Ancestral Remembrance: Honoring the Taíno and Indigenous ancestors whose lives, families, communities, and traditions were harmed by colonization.
~ Stories of Taíno Resistance and Resilience: Sharing the stories of three powerful Taíno leaders from the Caribbean whose legacies continue to inspire our people.
~ Indigenous Solidarity: Creating space to recognize the First Peoples of Connecticut and strengthen relationships among Indigenous communities.
This is an opportunity for Indigenous peoples, descendants, families, friends, and allies to gather in solidarity, learn from our shared histories, and honor the generations who came before us.
We remember our ancestors. We honor our living communities. We celebrate that we are still here.
All are welcome to join us for this gathering of remembrance, healing, and cultural pride.
Co-sponsored by: Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center & Higuayagua Taíno of the Caribbean – Connecticut Chapter
Together, we will honor the Taíno people, the First Peoples of the Caribbean, whose lives, communities, and ancestral homelands were devastated by European colonization. We will also remember the Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas who suffered displacement, violence, and the destruction of their traditional ways of life.
Our ancestors were decimated, but we were never extinct. We are still here.
Today, Taíno descendants continue to reclaim, preserve, and celebrate their ancestral traditions, cultural practices, languages, and spiritual connections. This gathering is both an act of remembrance and a declaration of Indigenous survival, resilience, and cultural continuity.
Honoring the First Peoples of Mattatuck
We are honored to extend an invitation to members of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribal Nation, a state-recognized Indigenous nation in Connecticut whose ancestral history is deeply connected to the lands of western Connecticut. As well as express gratitude to the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Haymarket People's Fund and CT Lead for funding our 2026 Taino Learning Community Year.
As we gather in Mattatuck, the Indigenous homeland now known as Waterbury, we acknowledge the original stewards of this land and the enduring presence of Connecticut's Native peoples.
A Sacred Gathering Along the Naugatuck River
This year's commemoration will take place beside the Naugatuck River at Platts Mill Park, where we will come together in ceremony, reflection, and community.
Our gathering will feature:
~ Calling of the Seven Directions: A ceremonial invocation honoring our connection to the land, waters, sky, ancestors, and the spiritual world. (We respectfully ask for no recording of this ceremony.)
~ Ancestral Remembrance: Honoring the Taíno and Indigenous ancestors whose lives, families, communities, and traditions were harmed by colonization.
~ Stories of Taíno Resistance and Resilience: Sharing the stories of three powerful Taíno leaders from the Caribbean whose legacies continue to inspire our people.
~ Indigenous Solidarity: Creating space to recognize the First Peoples of Connecticut and strengthen relationships among Indigenous communities.
This is an opportunity for Indigenous peoples, descendants, families, friends, and allies to gather in solidarity, learn from our shared histories, and honor the generations who came before us.
We remember our ancestors. We honor our living communities. We celebrate that we are still here.
All are welcome to join us for this gathering of remembrance, healing, and cultural pride.
Co-sponsored by: Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center & Higuayagua Taíno of the Caribbean – Connecticut Chapter
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Where is it happening?
Platts Mills Rd, Waterbury, CT 06706, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherAfro Caribbean Cultural Center Inc
