hurricane

The image in the above illustration depicts the Taíno version of the huraca’n superimposed over hurricane
Katrina as she left the Caribbean and approached New Orleans, Louisiana. The ancient indigenous people of
the Caribbean, the Taíno, had a perfect understanding of the weather phenomenon that annually plagued
their Paradise-like territory. The huraca’n was definitely an angry woman goddess, "Rider of the Winds".
Female ceramists depicted her on pottery as a head whose “S” shaped arms protruded from her shoulders or
temples, much like the view of a flailing person seen from overhead. Uncannily, the Taíno’s version of the
huraca’n had the same configuration as satellite photographs of hurricanes taken 500 years later in the 20th
century. The main difference in interpretation between the original Taíno image and that of contemporary
meteorologists was that the Taíno saw the “eye” of the hurricane as the face of a woman.

Her name was not Wilma, Katrina, Ivan, Camille, Diane, Rupert, or Ann. Before the birth of Christ, she had
been Guabancex (gwa-ban-seh) the angry woman spirit of the huraca’n. She was a violently angry goddess
accompanied by twin male accomplices. Together they wreaked havoc on the Caribbean, Central America
and the North American continent.

An early Spanish chronicler in the Caribbean wrote: “They say that when Guabancex becomes angry, she
makes the winds and waters move and casts houses to the ground and uproots the trees."

The huraca’n is the composition of the angry wind goddess Guabancex, and her two enablers the gods
Guatauba (gwa-ta-ooh-BA), and Coatrisque (ko-ah-tris-keh). Combined, they were the Wind, Thunder and
Flood spirits of the huraca'n. Guatauba, as the god of thunder, was the herald who announced Guabancex's
pending arrival. Coatrisque followed the wind and thunder and brought the devastating power of the flood
from the mountains. The Taínos understood that three entities of the hurricane (wind, flood and tide surge)
caused the most damage. The Spanish continue to use the word “huracan” and it is from this source that the
English coined the word “hurricane”. The early chroniclers also reported that Taínos curtailed long sea
voyages during the hurricane season of June to October. Boriken (Puerto Rico) Taínos spoke about the
mountain battles between the Supreme Being, Yucahú and the negative spirit of the huraca’n. Today, many
descendants of Boriken, Kiskeya (Dominican Republic) and Cubanacan (Cuba) Taínos live in New York City.
Before hurricane Katrina, some meteorologists predicted that “The Big One” will be a huge hurricane that may
do incalculable damage to New York City in the future. The subway tunnels may act as gushing conduits for
the storm surge.