GUAZABARA
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There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old system and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new one. – Machiavelli – 1513 |
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THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE CARIBBEAN
Although some authors refer to the Taino as peaceful, they were in fact. as many chroniclers indicate, equipped with a wide array of weapons to defend themselves and their villages from invaders. In addition to the petaloid axes, they manufactured bows and arrows , harpoons, spear-throwers, and most importantly a heavy club called the MACANA. Las Casas describes it as follows: 'A spade of palm wood, which is extremely hard and very heavy, made in the following way: not sharp but with a flat handle and uniformly thick, with which, since it is hard and heavy like iron, although a man wears a helmet on his head, one blow will sink his skull into his brains" (Las Casas). The Material Culture of the Taino Indians. Ignacio Olazagasti |
TAINO COMBAT SKILLS THE AFRICAN INFLUENCE
JIBARO MACHETE FIGHTERS GUAZABARA FAQ'S
"A tree without it's roots cannot survive. May our ancestors find us worthy."
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It should be noted that much of the Guazabara information contained in this website is oral history; and, as such, the history of Guazabara and other Native American fighting styles from the Caribbean, The America's (North & South) and Mexico are still clouded in mystery. This is written only to give the reader some basic understanding of Guazabara. For simplicity we have only discussed on this web-site the pre-Spanish Taino Macana and the Jibaro Machete.
World Guazabara Federation is the governing body of Guazabara, a fighting art and path with its roots deeply imbedded in Taino Warrior traditions.
Guazabara Sparring. "You Can't Swim without Getting in the Water".
Ooops! Efrain Loses his knife
