We are a nation of immigrants. We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life, the driven ones, the ones who woke up at night hearing that voice telling them that life in that place could be better. As a Native New Yorker, the ancestral stories of island life were rich in culture, tradition, and indigenous heritage which nurtured my childhood in spite of dwelling in the big city. They took on their own life during my visits to the island and continued blossoming well into my adulthood in rural New Jersey and my senior years of retirement in Florida. These stories told me of the ancestors before me, where they came from, how they survived and why they would later influence my journey and mold who I have become. Growing up the youngest of a large family brought its adversities. Constantly moving added to the challenges as well as adventures I would face. This book is a testament to the journey my Mamiand Abuelita took from a small island in the Caribbean in pursuit of a better life on the mainland, both with the determination to preserve their history. Add to that the awakening of a quest for answers sparked by their history and you have the resurgence of a people long forgotten, the Taino. Every story has as many sides as it has witnessed. This book tells their journey, as told by them, through a forgotten diaspora and a migration that would start planting the seeds of our heritage.