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

    4. Student Agreement

    1. Sunday 7/19

    2. Sunday 7/27

    3. Sunday 8/2

    4. Sunday 8/9

    5. Sunday 8/16

    6. Sunday 8/23

    7. Sunday 9/13

    8. Sunday 10/11

    1. Third Drum- Right Handed

    2. Third Drum- Left Handed

    3. Third Drum and Song

    4. Atabeira: Historical Foundations, Living Tradition, Teachings and Reflection

    1. Third Drum & Song

    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. Canoita with Congo Mayor Rhythm

    7. Congo Mayor Right Handed

    8. Congo Mayor Left Handed

    9. Congo Mayor 100 BPM

    10. Congo Mayor & Song at 70 BPM

    11. "Congos de Villa Mella"

    12. "Tainos“ performed by Irka Mateo y La Tirindanga

    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

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