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

    5. Guidance for Your Mayowakan Practice

    6. Evaluation Submission Form

    1. Monday 7/13

    2. Monday 7/20

    3. Monday 7/27

    4. Monday 8/3

    5. Monday 8/10

    6. Monday 8/17

    7. Monday 8/24

    8. Monday 8/31

    9. Monday 9/14

    10. Monday 9/21

    11. Monday 10/5

    12. Monday 10/12

    1. Monday 7/13

    2. Monday 7/20

    3. Monday 7/27

    4. Monday 8/3

    5. Monday 8/10

    6. Monday 8/17

    7. Monday 8/24

    8. Monday 8/31

    9. Monday 9/14

    10. Monday 9/21 (from Group A's class)

    11. Monday 10/5

    1. Atabeira Lyrics

    2. Atabeira Pronunciation

    3. Atabeira Acapella 65 BPM

    4. Atabeira Maracas

    5. 1st Drum

    6. 1st Drum and Song

    7. Practice for Our Next Class

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

    1. Yucahu Lyrics

    2. Yucahu Acapella

    3. Yucahu 1st Drum

    4. Yucahu Maracas

    5. Yucahu Maracas and Song

    6. Ritual Taíno Milenario Vivo en la República Dominicana

    7. Yucahu, Remembering our Taino spirituality

    1. Intro: The Congos of Villa Mella

    2. Taino Lyrics

    3. Taínos English Translation

    4. Appendix: Taíno and Indigenous Caribbean Words in Taínos

    5. Taíno Lyrics: Pronunciation

    6. Akutu’s Transmission of the Taino Song-- 100 BPM

    7. Transmission of the Taino Song-- 65 BPM

    8. Conguito Rhythm— Right-Handed-- 65 BPM

    9. Conguito Rhythm— Right-Handed-- 100 BPM

    10. Conguito Rhythm— Left-Handed-- 65 BPM

    11. Conguito Rhythm— Left-Handed-- 100 BPM

    12. "Congos de Villa Mella"

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

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