AnacaonaÂ
A dark Indian [Taino] maiden,
Warbling in the bloom'd liana,
Stepping lightly flower-laden,
By the crimson-eyed anana,
Wantoning in orange groves
Naked, and dark-limb'd, and gay,
Bathing in the slumbrous coves,
In the cocoa-shadow'd coves,
Of sunbright Xaraguay,
Who was so happy as Anacaona,
The beauty of Espanola,
The golden flower of Hayti?
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In the purple island,
Crown'd with garlands of cinchona,
Lady over wood and highland,
The Indian queen, Anacaona.
Dancing on Uic blossomy plain
To a woodland melody:
Playing with the scarlet crane,
The dragon-fly and scarlet crane,
Beneath the papao tree!
Happy, happy was Anacaona,
The beauty of Espanola,
The golden flower of Hayti!
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Naked, without fear, moving
To her Areyto's mellow ditty,
Waving a palm branch, wondering, loving,
Carolling "Happy, happy Hayti !"
She gave the white men welcome all,
With her damsels by the bay;
For they were fair-faced and tall,
They were more fair-faced and tall,
Than the men of Xaraguay,
And they smiled on Anacaona,
The beauty of Espanola,
The golden flower of Hayti!
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Following her wild carol
She led them down the pleasant places,
For they were kingly in apparel,
Loftily stepping with fair faces.
But never more upon the shore
Dancing at the break of day,
In the deep wood no more, —•
By the deep sea no more, —
No more in Xaraguay
Wander'd happy Anacaona,
The beauty of Espanola,
The golden flower of Hayti!
The Poet Queen of Haiti
Background
Anacaona was a Taino Cacique who attempted to stop the colonizers from taking over her land. Anacaona met with Christopher Columbus when he first set foot on Yaguana. Even before She was the Taino Cacique of Jaragua and Maguana, she was held to a high regard because she was born into a lineage of Chiefs. This gave her a lot of power. Anacaona had the idea that the Tainos should welcome the colonizers in peace in order to show that both cultures can live coherently together. She convinced her brother to try and resolve things peaceful instead of rebelling. Year after year, Anacaona tried to show the colonizers that they are very peaceful people, and in return, the colonizers were slaughtering her people. Her husband was captured because there was a conspiracy that he was organizing an uprising. Caonabo, Anacaona's husband later died at sea, while the colonizers were taking him to Santo Domingo for his trial. This lead to Anacaona taking over her husband's position. Her brother dies and she has to take over both the Jaragua land and the Maguana land. Because of this, Anacaona became chief of both territories.
Career
Anacaona had a daughter by the name of Higuemota and Her daughter and sailor fell in love. Their love gave her the idea that she could try and strengthen the ties between her people and the Spaniards through marriage. She also had celebrations to honor the Spaniards, where her people would dance and provide gifts to them. This worked for a short period of time, but when the Spanish appointed a new governor, things got worse. The new governor was threatened by Anacaona, only because she was female. Instead of facing him directly, Anacaona focused on what she thought mattered most: the safety of her people. This didn’t have good results for Anacaona, as she was arrested for treason and sentenced to death. She was only 29 when she died in 1504. Aside from being a ruler, Anacaona was also known for composing traditional poems and songs.
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