El Tumbao Cubano - El Blog de Cuba en el Exilio

New Research on Indigenous Peoples in Cuba

Ahora.cu / 03-10-2005 Unprecedented research on metallic pieces found in the cemetery of indigenous peoples of Chorro de Maita, in the eastern region of Holguin, Cuba, has revealed their European and South American origins.

The investigation, one of the most complete of this type in the Caribbean, was carried out in the laboratories of the Archaeology Institute of London, in the United Kingdom.

Latest technology equipment was used for the analysis of samples which have proven that the objects were created with European brass while others are the results of a gold, copper and silver alloy, possibly originating from Colombia.= That conclusion points out that the chronology of the Chorro de Maita cemetery, one of the most important archaeological sites on the island and in the Caribbean, and indicates that part of the burials occurred after the Spanish conquest at the beginnings of the sixteenth century.

Roberto Valcarcel, a specialist of the Oriental Archaeology Center in Holguin and a Cuban representative in London, said to AIN that the conclusions of the work open new perspectives on the topic.= He indicated the existence of objects brought from South America and used in mortuary rites verified in the place, adding that it should be studied whether they were brought by Europeans or were obtained by means of exchange.

The cemetery of indigenous peoples of Chorro de Maita is located near Guardalavaca Beach in Banes, Holguin, where all the known burial forms in Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean can be appreciated.

Cuba Converting Cane-growing Areas for Food and Reforestation

Havana, Sep 9 (Prensa Latina)
Over 300,000 hectares of cane will be replaced with other cultivation in the second stage of the restructuring process undertaken by the Cuban Ministry of Sugar (MINAZ), called task Alvaro Reynoso.

The lands will be sown with food, vegetables, seasonings, fruits and timber-yielding trees to strengthen production for the domestic market and reforestation in the country, which has faced excessive exploitation of its forests since 1958.

As in the first phase of task Alvaro Reynoso, salary and employment or study support will be guaranteed, and are evidence of appropriate social and industrial assistance, informed the document discussed with sugar producing workers and their families.

Through the information provision and discussion process, farmers and agronomists learned that transport, health services, and food provision will continue under the charge of the Ministry of Sugar.= Luis Manuel Avila, first Vice Minister of the Sugar Industry, informed workers in the municipality of Melena del Sur in Havana province, that more than 2500 social constructions will be built in areas where sugar refineries have been closed down.

Tania Varela, Georgina Brito and other citizens expressed to Prensa Latina their confidence in the measures suggested and approved at the public meeting, attended by officials and authorities from the Ministry and the municipality...

Smuggling endangers Cuba's songbirds

LINK   Posted on Sun, Sep. 04, 2005.
Re the Aug. 30 Metro Brief 6 accused of selling protected birds and other recent stories: Tropical Audubon Society members include all ethnicities and races, united to preserve our environment while emphasizing bird life and habitat.
It is very troubling for our organization, and for its Cuban-American members in particular, that birds are trapped in Cuba and then brought to Miami for sale. Miamians are illegally buying these birds and, more important, endangering Cuba's wildlife and depleting its songbirds, which are world treasures.
The species described in the stories, including Cuban grassquits and painted buntings, are commonly found for sale at the Opa-Locka Hialeah Flea Market and at several pet shops in South Florida. These species are preferred because they are tiny but hardy, a great combination for the smuggler who brings them in plastic tubes the size of toilet tissue rolls or stuffed in underwear. The Guide to the Birds of the West Indies says that, ``Due to deforestation and illegal exportation of the Cuban grassquit for the cagebird trade, this bird has declined considerably in numbers and range.''
The Tropical Audubon Society understands that this trade flourishes, in part, due to the ignorance of both sellers and buyers. But repeat smugglers, many of whom are Cuban American, should know well by now that what they are doing not only is illegal in their adopted country, but is also damaging to their country of birth.
We applaud the efforts of the authorities who implemented Operation Bunting, and we ask that the courts impose the harshest possible sentences and fines on smugglers as a deterrent to potential smugglers.
CYNTHIA GUERRA, executive director, Tropical Audubon Society, Miami

177 Species of Butterflies Found in Cuba

Havana, June 15 (AIN) Although only 18 are exclusive to Cuba, 177 species of butterflies can be found on the island.

A group of those endemic to Cuba can be found in the province of Camaguey, which includes the Hazel Phoebis (Phoebis avellaneda) butterfly, named in honor to the writer Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda according to the web site of the newspaper Adelante.

Native to the capital city of that province is the large and magnificent Metamorpha Stelenes, which proliferates in the summer primarily and often flies at the sidewalk level.

There is also the Cuban Greta, with his transparent wings, which is the king butterfly that makes its way to the coasts of Camaguey after crossing the Atlantic Ocean and continues southward to Latin America.  The Senegalese Coffee Butterfly also travels to the province from Africa.

The Major General Agramonte Provincial Museum has one of the widest collections of these insects, consisting of more than 1,500 exotic national specimens.