Dr. Maynard is the Visionary and Founding Executive and Artistic Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, founded in 1997 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3). It is the only cultural center in Texas and the Southwest affiliated with the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture for the offering of authentic, high-quality cultural programming. As the visionary since the cultural center's inception, her Executive duties span every responsibility required by a nonprofit Senior Executive. She is the Artistic Director of the center's cultural arts programs and its performing company of dancers and musicians, Puerto Rican Folkloric Dance. Since 2001, achievement and quality has been validated by repeat support by the National Endowment for the Arts, including an NEA Chairman's Award (2007), the Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division, and Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (since 2011).
Today, Dr. Maynard is an expert resource on the Mainland for Puerto Rico's cultural history, heritage,and multidisciplinary traditional arts. Since 1998 she has been trained by Island Masters in oral history and ancestral traditions based in native Taino, Spanish, and West African roots. (See Training below.) Tekina-eirú is a choreographer, dancer, and teacher of traditional dance, music, games, culture and history to preschool through professional adults. As a multi-disciplinary performer, she plays a variety of instruments including folkloric and indigenous percussion, strings, and Taino flutes. She learned folkloric percussion on barriles, panderos, and maraca with Bomba Patriarch Modesto Cepeda. At age 11 she taught herself to play guitar, and in 2013, decided to be true to herself and relearned to play -- as a lefty. She has written 40 original compositions including Taino Areytos for ceremony on earth clay and bone flutes to Mayohuacan drums, Afro-Boricua music (Bomba and Plena), and Jibaro (mountain) aguinaldos on guitar fused with Taino language.
Thanks to her great mentor, Rupert Reyes, Director of Teatro Vivo, Tekina-eirú has learned to move the stories in her heart to the theatrical stage. A subtle activist, since 2004, Tekina-eirú has written 22 original plays based in oral and documented history, in English, Spanish and Taino. Featuring live music and dance, they reveal relatively unknown history, preserve the memories of elders, and honor unsung heroes. Her works have included: "Pirates of Puerto Rico (2004)", "Puerto Rico Ever After (2004)", "Puerto Rico Mi Patria (2005)", "Piragua Man (2006)", "Angelito Borincano (2007)", "The Journey Back (2008), "Pa Mi Gente (2009)", "500 Years (2010)", "Boricua Beisbol (2011)", Mami Boricua (2012), Boricua Spirit (2013), Expreso Pony de Boriken (2014), Mi Tierra Boricua (2015), Borinki Soy (2016), La Promesa Rebelde (2017), Borinquen Sana (2018), Las Lavanderas (2019), The Pirates of Puerto Rico Return (2020), Valiente Soy (2021), Cangrejos y Cafe (2022), The Prince & The Pana (2023), and Mas Que Pantalones (2024).
In 2024, Dr. Maynard was recognized as a Change Maker of the Year in Education by Austin Woman Magazine, and Guardiana Folclorica of Puerto Rico's traditions by Raices Profundas Americas. She was named the Austin YWCA Woman of the Year for Arts (2005), and recognized for her contributions to the Taino community with Areito Award for Dance and Theatre (2009).
In addition to her ongoing training by Puerto Rican masters of tradition, she continues advancing on her guitar with flamenco guitarist Isai Chacon (Director of A'lante Flamenco). Tekina-eirú has also studied a variety of classical forms. She began taking piano lessons at age 5, and in graduate-school studied classical piano with Russian concert pianist Natasha Snitkovsky. In New York and Austin she studied classical dance forms including ballet and jazz; but her favorite memories were character dance performance roles with Austin Dance Ensemble (Arletta Howard-Logan). Her move to Texas in 1992 opened a new world of Mexican folkloric dance, where she trained with Roy Lozano, Chuy Chacon, and Raymundo Guzman if Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklorico de Texas professional company (1993-1997), and Jaime Guerrero (Monterrey, MX). Her past credits include mainstage performances on the Paramount and Zilker Hillside theatres during her years with Roy Lozano's Ballet Folklórico; with them she also co-choreographed and performed in the Cenzontle music video "La Bruja," dedicated to the folklore of Veracruz, Mexico (1998).
Kacike Tekina-eirú is the Tribal Chief and Spiritual Leader of Yukayeke Yara Cu (Tribe of the Sacred Place) is a Taino tribe of blood descendants and Guaytiao proudly serving Central Texas. She leads Yara Taino & Guaytiao, the center's active indigenous community who celebrate and share Taino living traditions with the community at-large since 2008. She is a consecrated Naguety (Elder) and a Tekina -- a Teacher of Taino traditions and writer of ceremonial music and dance.
In 2008, Tekina-eirú 's Amerindian Mitochondrial DNA identifying her as Taino from Boriken/Puerto Rico (Haplogroup A-1) was "confirmed" by Juan Carlos Martinez Cruzado, Professor of Genetics at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, and further identified that her family's Boriken origins dated back 6000 years to the ancient peoples that predated the Tainos -- the Arcaicos (The Ancient Ones). The mtDNA results were of no great surprise to her Mom, who wondered what was the question. Read about her Lifetime Journey
Tekina-eiru is a Texas Master Naturalist and enjoys sharing Nature's timeless wisdom through her published book and interactive workshops based in Taino spirituality -- When Nature Sings: A Taino Journey. Her keynote talks and workshops combine nature-centric inspirational anecdotes, original photography, live Taino flute music, and original songs on guitar that remind us that Nature enjoys communicating with humanity through experiences that bring meaning to life. Participants engage in music-making and role playing that reveal insights, encourage meaningful discussion, and provide "tools" to take home that can be used in everyday life. Her workshops serve all ages and interests, and teach "Healers" -- from caregivers to licensed professionals -- a powerful way to renew themselves through a connection to Nature. These works were developed with support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, Mid-America Arts Alliance, City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, and Humanities Texas with umbrella support from La Pena.
Puerto Rican music and dance has always been a very special part of Tekina-eirú's life. She is very proud to share the joy of rich traditions with her community, and hand down cultural heritage to the next generation!
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