#caribbean diversity

[comparativetarot]

Death. Art by Laura Bello, from Secrets of Paradise Tarot.

[alwaysbewoke]

white people are the same everywhere

[bonobochick]

Jawahir & Nick participating in the group assignment of using art therapy to reduce and release sexual tension... with mixed results. 😃 🎨

Too Hot To Handle, ep 4x03

[artcentron]

Taíno Civilization Is A Hidden Gem in Pre-Columbian History

Embark on a journey to unravel the secrets of the Taíno Civilization, a concealed marvel in Caribbean history, and delve into their artistry, legacy, and cultural influence.

Taíno Civilization and Cultural Artifacts: Taíno Celt, Depicting ‘Bird-Man’ Motif, AD 1300 – AD 1400 Serpentine-23.6 x 17.2 x 4.5 cm. Image: Barakat Gallery Embark on a journey to unravel the secrets of the Taíno civilization and art at Barakat Gallery. Experience the concealed marvels in Caribbean history and delve into their artistry, legacy, and cultural influence. BY ALEX TOWNASTALLI,…

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Caribbean and Indo-Pacific coral species, including pillar and lobed star corals.

Center for Biological Diversity

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Read Around The World TBR - Part 5

Books set in the Caribbean <3

[hussyknee]

If you're dual citizens or parents are from different countries, please tag both. Include a cool fact about your country as well if you like. :)

(Tumblr only has ten options, so I've mostly divided the regions into Western/ non-Western.)

[sins-of-the-sea]

//For some reason, I woke up with 'Santeria' by Sublime stuck in my head, and it reminded me that Voudou is not the only African diasporic religion of the Caribbean. So I decided to check it out if it's appropriate for Abena. Turns out-

…No. Its origins are in Cuba. And it would be highly anachronistic because it developed during the late 19th century (Abena is 17th century).

So with this in mind, I decided to check out Haitian Voudou, because while in the past I have been researching what it IS, I never bothered its history--or its ethnic and origins. And behold--

Hm. Abena is specifically Akan, and she is of the Spanish part of Haitian history, before the French took over. And Akan are known as among the ethnic groups enslaved into Haiti and the Caribbean, those areas have their own takes of the Anansi mythos.

I decided to double-check native African vodun as a cross reference, and…. well then.

So while Vodun is present in Ghana, it would not be ethnically appropriate for Abena. She would have been raised in the indigenous forms of Akom, the religion of the Akan people. And from my observations of Akan mythology and folklore growing up, it does not at ALL resemble Voudou, Vooodoo, or Vodun at ALL.

So I made the right call in avoiding associating "generic African witch" with voodoo, etc. Cappn suggests Abena obtained the nickname 'Madame Voodoo' prior to joining the Seven out of ignorance from Europeans who think voodoo = black people magic. And Abena always bullshitted her ways through confidence tricks anyway. I can imagine (ex)slaves of Aja, Ewe, Fon, etc., descent would be highly critical of Abena carrying around that moniker while she's neither of these identities at all.

And even with all this, Abena would end up becoming an agnostic. I highly doubted she faced any religious trauma beyond "why isn't Nyame answering my prayers?" in the same ways the others in the Crew faced theirs. Her agnosticism likely comes from just simply observing syncretism taking place all over everyone she knew, forced or not, so it's just a matter of treating the mixing of faiths as not any different from taking on a neutral stance on mixing philosophies.

Modern-day Akom has a lot of influences from Christianity and Islam (from North African trade), so picking out which is indigenously Akan and which is Christian/Islam is somewhat of a challenge. With that said, a lot of Akom is polytheistic animist in nature, just like pre-Spanish Filipino faiths in the anito and diwata. So it's just a matter of identifying which traditions are Christian, Islam, and indigenous Akan.

I'd love to play around with Akom elements to Abena some more like I do with Christian/Jewish/Muslim/Taoist themes with the rest of the Crew. I grew up on so many stories of Anansi and Nyame growing up, I'm somewhat more personally familiar with Akan folklore than, let's say, Norse mythology. And I already use Anansi influences on Abena due to her being a cunning trickster. It's just a matter of how to make it more apparent gracefully.

[fifthdegreeus]

Rastafarian Clothing for Kids: Teaching Cultural Awareness and Diversity Through Fashion

Rastafarianism is a spiritual movement that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s. It is based on the belief that Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia is the messiah and that black people are the true Israelites. The Rastafarian movement has had a significant impact on Caribbean culture, inspiring music, art, and fashion. Teaching children about cultural awareness and diversity is crucial in…

rastafarian clothing

rastafarian clothes

jah rastafari

[thedawningofthehour]

Hi, this is a little bit of an infodump.

So I volunteer at an ichthyology lab every Wednesday, and the latest chapter of doth has sent me down the wonderful rabbit hole of evolutionary lineages!! I have been going absolutely feral over them, it's so fascinating!!

I'm writing a little story where I have anthro characters. And obviously I can't just world build like any normal person and just smack the characters in today's society. I am on a mission to backtrack history and evolution to I can find a way to make sense of all of this.

I fully blame you for this (/j /pos), it's interesting, reading about how the earth was built up way before humans. Learning about the early animals and what caused what family to split from the line and branch off into it's own thing.

I asked like, a billion questions to my friends in the lab about lineages and why certain creatures evolved the way they do. Did you know that the sturgeon used to be a boney fish, but then reverted back to it's cartilaginous skeleton!! Those ugly little bastards (affectionate) are even related to bony fish!! The little guys really just said "Fuck your bones, I'm doing my own thing!!" How cool is that!!

I love learning about this stuff!! Thank you for reminding me about it. I'm bugging all my friends about it, it's plagued my mind!!

I love your writing by the way!! I'm not the best with words, but I think it's cool and neat and good and if I could eat it, I would!

Have a nice day!! Sorry for the long ask!

Writing for this fandom has forced me to ask the weirdest, hyper-specific questions to Google. Like, when did primates diverge from turtles? turns out way, way, way before they even slightly resembled either of those things. And it's not like you can really hide that you're researching ninja turtles lore because there's absolutely no reason to otherwise ask that question.

I haven't even gone down the fish evolutionary rabbithole. I did it a bit to figure out Xever's biology and I was very confused a lot.

Wasn't it dolphins that evolved to crawl out of the ocean, then decided that land sucked and went back? I mean, mood, but what the fuck guys? What even is evolution? This is some clown shit.

[muskmelon-enjoyer-199x]

we are eating bahamian 🇧🇸 peas and rice tonight!

I think I put too much tomato paste but it's still pretty good!

(mine is the condensed toothpaste type and i always forget it's not a perfect substitute with the canned kind, oops)

[comparativetarot]

The Star. Art by Laura Bello, from Secrets of Paradise Tarot.

[jamaicahomescom]

Every Mickle Mek A Muckle: Embracing Every Corner of Jamaican Living

At Jamaica Homes, we believe in the power of every small effort to make a significant impact. “Every Mickle Mek A Muckle,” a Jamaican proverb, which translates to “every little bit adds up.” Beyond showcasing grand estates and luxury properties, our focus is on highlighting the diverse range of homes that contribute to the rich tapestry of Jamaica. Join us as we explore how each unique property,…

[bonobochick]

Jawahir tempting Nick into breaking the rules. ❤️‍🔥

Too Hot To Handle, ep 4x06

[krisrampersad]

Prime Minister Panday's Last Parlance - Final Fiery Journey Comes Full Circle to Reconnect with Ancestors

When you came into the world, people laughed, and you cried.Go do something in life that when we die, the world weeps and we laugh.Sant Kabir Das, Basdeo Panday’s favoured Poet & Philosopher Panday’s Last Parlance, his final fiery journey comes full circle to reconnect with his ancestors with a State Procession of compatriots from the at the Southern Academy of the Performing Arts to the…