Sacred Taino Songkeepers with Akutu Irka Mateo

Sacred Taino Song Keepers

A 21 Week Program

Sacred Taino Songkeepers is an educational offering guided and developed by Akutu Irka Mateo, where people with Taino ancestry can come together to receive songs originating from diverse sources within our Afro-Indigenous and ancestral traditions.

Course Curriculum

1. Welcome and Important Dates
2. Weekly Zoom Access Link
3. Join Signal Discussion Group
1. Sunday 7/12
2. Sunday 7/19
3. Sunday 7/27
4. Sunday 8/2
5. Sunday 8/9
6. Sunday 8/16
7. Sunday 8/23
8. Sunday 8/30
9. Sunday 9/13
10. Sunday 9/20
11. Sunday 10/4
12. Sunday 10/11
1. Atabeira Lyrics
2. Atabeira Pronunciation
3. Atabeira Acapella 65 BPM
4. Atabeira Maracas
5. First Drum
6. First Drum and Song
7. Atabeira Historical Foundations, Living Tradition, Teachings and Reflection
1. Akutu's Transmission of Yucahu
2. Yucahu Lyrics
3. Yucahu Acapella
4. First Drum
5. First Drum & Song
6. Yucahu Maracas
7. Practice for Our Next Class
1. Introduction-- The Congos of Villa Mella: An Afro-Dominican Living Tradition with Taíno Musical Resonances
2. Taino Lyrics
3. Taínos English Translation
4. Appendix: Taíno and Indigenous Caribbean Words in Taínos
5. Taíno Lyrics: Pronunciation
6. "Congos de Villa Mella"
7. "Tainos“ performed by Irka Mateo y La Tirindanga
1. Understanding the Foundational Patterns of the Palo Drums
1. Introduction-- Palos: A Living Afro-Dominican Drum Tradition
2. Palos video
3. Caonabo paper
4. First Drum Palos de San Juan-- Right-Handed
5. First Drum Palos de San Juan-- Left-Handed
6. Rey Caonabo Lyrics
7. Rey Caonabo Lyrics Pronunciation
8. Caonabo Melody — A Cappella
9. Akutu Irka Transmission of the Rey Caonabo Song-- 65 BPM
10. Akutu Irka's Transmission-- Rey Caonabo 100 bpm
11. Palos Maracas Pattern — Right-Handed-- 65 BPM
12. Palos Maracas Pattern — Left-Handed-- 65 BPM
13. Palos Maracas Pattern-- Right-Handed-- 100 BPM
14. Palos Maracas Pattern-- Left-Handed-- 100 bpm
15. Akutu Irka’s Transmission: Palos Maracas — 65 BPM
16. Akutu Irka's Transmission: Maracas Palos Pattern-- 100 BPM

About this course

21 Live Classes
8 Songs (Lyrics, Rythm, Pronunciation & Context)
Private Discussion Group

Meet Your Guides

About Irka Mateo

Lead Teacher, Program Creator and Lineage Holder

Irka’s path has unfolded through decades of ceremony, cultural reclamation, and the teachings of our elders, shaping a practice that weaves together the spiritual, the creative, and the ancestral. Her work flows through many channels including ceremony, guidance, teaching, healing, and the ceramic arts — all of them anchored in singing, the ancient ceremonial chants, our shared wisdom, and the living memory of our people.

About Diez Hura

Apprentice in Ancestral Music, Teaching & Program Lead

Diez Hura serves as Matunlukukia Behike for the Boriken Region of Higuayagua Taino of the Caribbean. They are the Founder of the queer Taino Collective Kiwari Taino Itai, and are an apprentice in ancestral music who is dedicated to the preservation and expansion of our indigenous ways.

What's Included:

Lifetime Access to All Recordings, PDF'S & Other Course Resources via convenient online portal
Online Live Group Feedback Sessions with Akutu
Access to a private community chat group for connecting with others on the journey and receiving practice guidance
By enrolling in this course, you become eligible for advanced songkeeper studies, and annual in person retreats with Akutu

Join Us

Weekly Live Online Sessions Meet On Sundays at 7 am pacific time. Cohort 3 in Progress. 4 Dates TBD.

If you have known Taino ancestry and are ready to make a commitment to learning traditional Taino ceremonial music with care and respect, please visit the link below to join the waitlist to be the first to hear when applications open for the next cohort.

Join Wait List Now