Los Indocubanos

Los indocubanos by Onelio Jorge Cardoso and illustrated by Modesto Garcia is too brief to offer more than an overview of the indigenous past of the island. Modesto Garcia's illustrations, however, are quite impressive and detailed, even if some may be somewhat inaccurate. Modesto Garcia had apparently directed a film on this topic in 1962, which is unfortunately difficult to find. Nonetheless, despite it's introductory nature, there is a revolutionary hint at the union of the Indian and African maroon that must have been part of the 1962 documentary, too. This Afro-indigenous unity through marronage must have appealed to post-revolutionary Cuba in the 1960s. Unfortunately, this short book's emphasis on the allegedly "primitive" features of indigenous Cuban life and the absence of references to the social and political complexity of pre-colonial cacicazgos promotes stereotypes of indigenous primitivism or backwardness. Through resistance, marronage and union with runaway Africans, the indigenous past finds its most potent and meaningful legacy.