From the Areíto to the Cordon: indigenous healing dances

The Cordon dance, an indigenous therapy practiced in Cuba, traces its origins to the areíto of the Taíno people, a dance form long believed extinct. This work introduces the idea that Cordon functions as a legitimate healing practice, reframing a virtually unknown dance as a therapeutic process. Both the areíto and Cordon inform alternative therapeutic approaches centered on presence. Performed through Cordon Spiritism, the areíto serves not only as a vital healing resource for its community but also as an expression of living tainidad, or Taíno identity.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The indigenous origin of Cordon dance in Cuba is connected to the areíto of the Taíno people from the Caribbean. The structure of Cordon, its function and relevance as a form of indigenous therapy is a new idea introduced here to this particular subject. Describing and reflecting on the process that generates indigenous dance as therapy, resurrects a Taíno dance form believed to be extinct (areíto); it brings to the forefront a dance that is practically unknown (Cordon), reframing it as a legitimate healing practice. Both the areíto and Cordon inform alternative therapeutic processes within the context of presence. The areíto, currently performed through Cordon Spiritism, more than a vital healing resource for the community in which it takes place, it is also an expression of living tainidad.