How the Sea Began: A Taino Myth

by George Crespo

A clever hunter, a great storm, and four mischievous, hungry boys remake the face of the earth by creating the sea and the Lesser Antilles islands, in a vivid retelling of an ancient Tai+a7no myth.

Genres: Picture Books, Folklore

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 1993

Reviews

[Alexis Redmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because I am obsessed with the water, whether it is an ocean, lake or sea. The title pulled me in because of how much I love the water. This book is about a Taino Myth that the author George Crespo is retelling. The Taino were located in South America and the believed that the natural world was inhabited by different sprits, and that is where this myth comes from.

This book takes place on the island of Boriquén which is modern day Puerto Rico and it mentions 3 mountains which are now Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic/ Haiti. This story goes on to talk about how the sea was created after the best hunter on the mountain goes missing after a storm. The myth does not come out and say that magic is present but the reader knows that it is there when a gourd all of sudden starts producing fish and water. The use of spirits is also throughout the myth because that was a large belief from the Taino. The use of both makes the myth more interesting and it brings its to life more because without them it would be hard to explain how all of a sudden a mountain became an island in this myth.

I enjoyed the illustrations by the author because they brought the words on the pages come to life. Overall this book was good and I would recommend it to others to read. It was well written and even though I do not know the original telling of the myth, George Crespo did a good job of telling this myth. I also liked how in the back of the book it gave information and explained more about the Taino people and the myth.

Also as a side note goodreads says that this book is 1 page, but it is not it is the average length of a children's book.

[Elizabeth Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

How the Sea Began was a very well-written book about a Taíno creation myth that explains how the ocean was created. This is a traditional myth that is told as fact and explains nature’s formation in South America, where the Taíno lived. There are references to the spirits and gods that the Taíno people worshiped, as well as the explanation of how the ocean was created. In the beginning of the story, the people are living on a mountain. When the village’s main hunter died, his parents hung his weapons in a gourd on the ceiling of their hut, which is similar to a custom the Taíno people follow of hanging the bones of their dead relatives in a gourd. This gourd starts to provide the people with fish, and then is ultimately cracked. This causes the ocean to spill out, which turns their mountain into an island. I thought this was a very interesting myth because I have read about some Greek and Roman mythology, but I have not read about myths of other cultures. I think sharing so many different myths is compelling because we can learn about how different people explain how nature was formed.

Something I liked about this book was that it has an explanation of the myth and the Taíno people in the back of the book, as well as a pronunciation guide for the many different Taíno words used throughout. The author seems to have a lot of appreciation for the myth and the people. In the book, the reader is introduced to a few different things, like the tabonuco tree. The author does a great job of giving a brief explanation that is easy to understand and does not take away from the story. I also liked how the author used Taíno names for the characters. The story moved at a good pace and kept the reader interested. The art was also very impressive. I really enjoyed the bright colors and the painting style that created a lot of different textures. I think it added a lot of depth and interest to the story. I also really liked the variety of the illustrations. The pictures do not follow one singular format, but instead are constantly changing based on the story’s events. I really enjoyed this because it made the story and pictures flow together and helped build excitement for the next page.

For the classroom, I think that exploring myths would be a very interesting topic. There are so many different myths from so many different cultures, and it could be fun to look at all of the different ways people have explained the world around them. It is a very important part of history that I think students could benefit from. I also like this book in particular because I never heard of the Taíno before this story. The Taíno are a group from South America and I was able to learn a lot more about their culture from this book. I remember doing projects about different countries in sixth grade. I wonder if researching myths could be added to that, because I think it is an interesting way to learn about different groups of people from places around the world. I am curious to find out how else myths can be used to supplement instruction.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Taino myth about how the sea came to be is retold in this picture book from author / illustrator George Crespo, a Puerto Rican painter and sculptor who made his book debut here. Occurring in an ancient land known as Zuania, which existed in what is now the Caribbean before the waters came, the story follows the talented hunter Yayael, who lived with his family and people on the mountain of Boríquen. When the goddess Guabancex sent a mighty hurricane, Yayael was lost, but his bow and arrows were preserved, and placed by his mourning parents in a gourd that they hung in their dwelling. When hunger struck their people, Yayael's parents obtained fish from the gourd, perhaps indicating that even in death the hunter still provided. But when the gourd was left in the care of four young boys, their curiosity left it broken, and the mighty salt waters it contained now dispersed. No longer a mountain, Boríquen (AKA Puerto Rico) was now an island, just as other mountains of Zuania became the islands of Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic)...

According to the brief afterword here, the story contained in How the Sea Began: A Taino Myth was first recorded by Fray Ramon Pané, a Spanish monk who accompanied Columbus on his second voyage to Hispaniola in 1494. Learning Taino, Fray Pané recorded many of the traditional beliefs and stories of the indigenous people he encountered, completing his An Account of the Antiquities of the Indians in 1498. This work was the first book written in the western hemisphere by Europeans or their descendants, and is the only direct source of information about the Tainos and their culture and beliefs that survives. I was unfamiliar with Pané before picking up this book, so I am particularly grateful to George Crespo for his note about his sources—something I always look for in folkloric and mythological retellings. Leaving that aside, I found this an engaging story, and thought it was very interesting that Zuania was the Taino name for South America. Perhaps this story was their way of adapting to their new Caribbean home, surrounded by water on all sides, after migrating there from the Orinoco Basin (modern day Venezuela and Colombia) around 1000 AD. The accompanying artwork, done in oil paint, is likewise interesting, with a wonderful use of color and shape, and a somewhat impressionistic style that caught my eye. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, and to anyone seeking Taino stories, or myths of the wider Caribbean.

[Candance Doerr-Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

How The Sea began tells the story of the Taino hunter, Yayael who provides food for his community. When he disappears/dies in a hurricane, the villagers bury his bow and arrows in a gourd and struggle to find their own food without home. The gourd holding the bow an arrow is broken in careless play and later becomes the source of a great flood and sea that bears new sealife and food for the village. The villagers are grateful and thank Yayael for the new source of food (fishing)

This story features interdependence between people and the land and sea for food. Death is suggested through the hunter, Yayael, who never returns from the hurricane. The village people grieve yet also move forward and adapt to the changing living conditions (hurricanes, floods, islands and sea) including a change from hunting to fishing community.

Interdependence, adaptation, reverence, healing

Used: The Bookman - Anaheim CA

[Delaney Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book would fall under the mythology category of the Traditional Literature genre because it recounts the creation of a piece of the world. It is a Taino myth about how the sea began. I really enjoyed this book. It is very interesting to see the different ways different cultures explain how the sea began. The story did not focus on the characters of the book but on the events that happened that led to the creation of the sea.

The illustrations were also very interesting because they were able to depict the Taino culture. The illustrations move from the left to the right of each page to keep the readers to continue reading. I really liked the illustrations because they were very simple, yet full of detail. Children would love to read this book because all children wonder how the world was created, and though this is a Taino myth, it would get the children really thinking.

[Shu Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smooth, sympathetic recounting of a myth from the Taino people collected originally over 500 years ago by Fray Ramón Pané and adapted/written for young readers with illustractions in this book by George Crespo, born in Yonkers, New York and raised in Puerto Rico and New York. The illustrations are attractive and lively. Although there is pain and loss in the story, there's a strong message of retaining affection and love for those lost and community healing for those who remain and continue to grow. I would recommend this book for readers/listeners of all ages.

[Jonilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book with great illustrations! Awesome for those wanting a book to introduce their Indigenous roots to their Taíno/Native Caribbean children. :)

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book I purchased when I developed my How-Why folklore unit back in the beginning of my teaching career. I am rather certain I purchased it at the Marlton Borders, but am not positive regarding that.

It's an interesting tale about a young boy who is an excellent hunter. He disappears, but the village finds his bow. Miraculously, the bow produces fish for everyone to eat. The bow falls and cracks open relinquishing a flood that creates the sea.