Where the Sun and the Moon Came From

In The Beginning

31-08-2022 • 14 mins

This story from the Taíno people begins with a great flood forcing everyone to hide in caves, even the Sun and the Moon. This story explains why the Sun and the Moon rise and set at different times.

In the beginning there is a great flood. Many people hide in caves to escape the flood and so do the Sun and the Moon. The Sun kicks the Moon out as there isn’t enough space in the cave they are sharing. The moon goes up to the sky and find that it's much more spacious. The Sun misses the moon so goes up to the sky to find her and realises that’s it’s much better than his cave. He tries to reconnect with the moon but she is not willing to reconcile, so they are always set to be apart forever.

The Taíno are an Arawak people who were the indigenous people of the Caribbean and Florida. At the time of European contact in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), and Puerto Rico. Once thought to have completely disappeared there is now "Taíno restoration", a revival movement for Taíno culture that seeks official recognition of the survival of the Taíno people. In Puerto Rico, the history of the Taíno is being taught in schools and children are encouraged to celebrate the culture and identity of Taíno through dance, costumes and crafts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.