Editing Hatuey

{{Short description|Hispaniolan Cacique (died 1512)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Hatuey of Guahabá
| image        = File:Hatuey monument, Baracoa, Cuba.JPG
| image_size   = 200px
| alt          = A large stylized bust on concrete
| caption      = The monument of Hatuey, in [[Baracoa]] city, Cuba—the place he besieged the most while fighting the Spanish forces.
| succession   = ''[[Cacique]]'' of Guahabá<ref name="powhatanmuseum">{{cite web | url=http://www.powhatanmuseum.com/Tainos_Past_Present.html | title=Taínos: Past & Present |website=Powhatan Museum |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327003219/http://powhatanmuseum.com/Tainos_Past_Present.html |archive-date= Mar 27, 2023  }}</ref>
| birth_date   = Late 15th century
| birth_place  = [[Hispaniola]]
| death_date   = 2 February 1512
| death_place  = [[Baracoa]], Cuba
{{Infobox person
| embed=yes
| known_for   = Being Cuba's "first national hero."
}}
| signature    = 
}}
[[File:Hatuey2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Monument of Taíno chief Hatuey in [[Yara, Cuba|Yara]] city, depicting the moment he was burnt by Spanish soldiers, bound to a [[Tamarind]] tree planted in 1907.]]
[[File:Tarja en la base de la estatua de Hatuey.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Plate at the base of the monument. It reads ''"To the memory of Chief Hatuey, unforgettable Indian, precursor of the Cuban liberty, who offered his life, and glorified his rebellion in the martyrdom of the flames on 2/2/1512. Monuments Delegation of [[Yara, Cuba|Yara]], 1999".'']]

'''Hatuey''' ({{IPAc-en|ɑː|ˈ|t|w|eɪ}}), also '''Hatüey''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɑː|t|u|ˈ|eɪ}}; died 2 February 1512), was a [[Taíno people|Taíno]] ''[[Cacique]]'' (chief) of the [[Hispaniola]]n [[Chiefdoms of Hispaniola|cacicazgo of Guanaba]] (in present-day [[Gonâve Island|La Gonave]], [[Haiti]]).<ref name="powhatanmuseum"/> He lived from the late 15th until the early 16th century. Chief Hatuey and many of his tribesmen travelled from present-day La Gonave by canoe to [[Cuba]] to warn the Taíno in Cuba about the Spaniards that were arriving to conquer the island.

He later attained legendary status for leading a group of natives in a fight against the invasion of the Spaniards, thus becoming one of the first fighters against [[Spanish colonialism]] in the [[New World]]. He is celebrated as "Cuba's first national hero."<ref name="Running Fox 1998">Running Fox, 'The Story of Cacique Hatuey, [[Hero of the Republic of Cuba|Cuba's First National Hero]]', ''La Voz del Pueblo Taíno (The Voice of the Taíno People)'' (United Confederation of Taíno People, U.S. Regional Chapter, January 1998)</ref>

==Life and death==
In 1511, [[Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar|Diego Velázquez]] set out from Hispaniola to conquer what is now known as present-day La Gonave, Haiti and subjugate the indigenous people, the [[Taíno]],  who had previously been recorded by [[Christopher Columbus]]. Velázquez was preceded, however, by Hatuey, who fled Hispaniola with a party of four hundred in canoes and warned some of the Native people of eastern Cuba about what to expect from the Spaniards.<ref name="historyofcuba.com">[http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/oriente/hatuey.htm J. A. Sierra. 'The Legend of Hatuey', ''The History of Cuba'' (August 2006)]. Retrieved September 9, 2006.</ref>

[[Bartolomé de Las Casas]] later attributed the following speech to Hatuey which was addressed against Christianity. He showed the Taíno of Caobana a basket of gold and jewels, saying:
:Here is the God the Spaniards worship. For these they fight and kill; for these they persecute us and that is why we have to throw them into the sea... They tell us, these tyrants, that they adore a God of peace and equality, and yet they usurp our land and make us their slaves. They speak to us of an immortal soul and of their eternal rewards and punishments, and yet they rob our belongings, seduce our women, violate our daughters. Incapable of matching us in valor, these cowards cover themselves with iron that our weapons cannot break...<ref>Bartolomé de Las Casas, ''Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies''. Translated by Nigel Griffin.  (London: Penguin, 1999)  {{ISBN|0-14-044562-5}}{{page needed|date=January 2018}}</ref>

The Taíno chiefs in Cuba did not respond to Hatuey's message, and few joined him to fight. Hatuey resorted to [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] tactics against the Spaniards, and was able to confine them for a time. He and his fighters were able to kill at least eight Spanish soldiers. Eventually, using mastiffs and torturing the native people for information, the Spaniards succeeded in capturing him. On 2 February 1512, he was tied to a stake and burned alive at [[Yara, Cuba|Yara]], near the present-day city of [[Bayamo]].<ref>Barreiro, Jose "A Note on Taino," in Akwe, Cornell, ''View From the Shore'', Pon Press, 1990{{page needed|date=January 2018}}</ref>

Before he was burned, a priest asked Hatuey if he would accept [[Jesus]] and go to heaven. Las Casas recalled the reaction of the chief:
:[Hatuey], thinking a little, asked the religious man if Spaniards went to heaven. The religious man answered yes... The chief then said without further thought that he did not want to go there but to hell so as not to be where they were and where he would not see such cruel people. This is the name and honour that God and our faith have earned.<ref>"''<span dir="ltr">A violent evangelism: the political and religious conquest of the Americas</span>''", Luis N. Rivera, Luis Rivera Pagán, Westminster John Knox Press, 1992, p. 260 {{ISBN|0-664-25367-9}}.</ref><ref>[https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/brevsima-relacin-de-la-destruccin-de-las-indias-0/html/847e3bed-827e-4ca7-bb80-fdcde7ac955e_18.html Brevísima relación de la destruición de las Indias], Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes. "''Él, pensando un poco, preguntó al religioso si iban cristianos al cielo. El religioso le respondió que sí, pero que iban los que eran buenos. Dijo luego el cacique, sin más pensar, que no quería él ir allá, sino al infierno, por no estar donde estuviesen y por no ver tan cruel gente. Ésta es la fama y honra que Dios y nuestra fe ha ganado con los cristianos que han ido a las Indias.''"</ref>

[[File:Hatuey.jpg|alt=Image of a bas-relief of the portal of El Capitolio of Havana depicting the burning of Hatuey.|thumb|Burning of Hatuey. From a bas-relief of the portal of El Capitolio of Havana.]]

==Legacy==
Hatuey is considered "Cuba's first national hero" and one of the earliest fighters against [[Spanish colonialism]].<ref name="Running Fox 1998" /> The town of [[Hatuey, Cuba|Hatuey]], located south of [[Sibanicú, Cuba|Sibanicú]] in the [[Camagüey Province]] of Cuba, was named after him.

Hatuey also lives on as a [[beer]] brand name. Beer has been brewed in Santiago de Cuba and sold under the Hatuey brand name since 1927, initially by the native Cuban company, [[Compañia Ron Bacardi S.A.]]  After [[nationalization]] of industry in 1960, brewing was taken over by Empresa Cerveceria Hatuey Santiago. Beginning in 2011, the Bacardi family again began making beers in the United States to market under the Hatuey label.<ref>Klein, Lee.  [https://www.miaminewtimes.com/restaurants/hatuey-beer-returns-as-a-microbrew-6577955 ''Hatuey Beer Returns as a Microbrew.''] Miami New Times, Dec. 6, 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-11-21|title=Bacardi Launches National Distribution of Hatuey|url=https://www.brewbound.com/news/bacardi-launches-national-distribution-of-hatuey/|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Brewbound}}</ref>  Hatuey is also a brand of a type of sugary, non-alcoholic malt beverage called [[Malta (soft drink)|malta]].<ref>[http://www.galcos.com/products/detail.cfm?link=75 Soda Pop Stop] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711063241/http://www.galcos.com/products/detail.cfm?link=75 |date=2011-07-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Quaffmaster|date=|title=Malta Hatuey|url=http://www.weirdsodareview.com/2010/05/malta-hatuey.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Weird Soda Review}}</ref> Hatuey is also a Dominican brand of [[soda cracker]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/hatuey.htm |title = Hatuey}}</ref>

The logo of the [[Cohiba (cigar brand)|Cuban cigar]] and [[Cohiba (cigarette)|cigarette brand Cohiba]] is a picture of Hatuey.

In a 2010 film shot in [[Bolivia]], ''[[Even the Rain]]'', Hatuey is a main character in the film-within-the-film. The film includes a cinematic account of Hatuey's execution.<ref name="Holden">{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=2011-02-17 |title=Discovering Columbus's Exploitation |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/movies/18even.html |access-date=2011-11-15 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

In 2024, Heavy metal band 3 Bravo released a song titled Chief Hatuey, which is dedicated to the story of the Tainos chief.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-29 |title=Behind the music: Chief Hatuey |url=https://3bravoband.com/2024/03/29/behind-the-music-chief-hatuey/ |access-date=2024-05-06 |website=Meet 3 Bravo |language=en}}</ref>

=== Fine arts ===
The imagery of Hatuey has been appropriated and/or incorporated into diverse artistic genres, most notably into the [[Afro-Cubans|Afro-Cuban]] [[Yiddish theatre|Yiddish]] Opera, "Hatuey: Memory of Fire".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bronxnet|title=OPEN Artist Spotlight with cast of Hatuey: Memory of Fire|url=http://www.bronxnet.org/watch/videos/5725/|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Bronxnet|language=en|archive-date=2021-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514175906/https://www.bronxnet.org/watch/videos/5725/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Afro-Cuban Yiddish opera with music by The Klezmatics' Frank London|url=https://www.peakperfs.org/event/hatuey-opera/2018-09-14/|access-date=2020-08-24|website=Arts & Cultural Programming|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Hatuey Memory Of Fire|url=https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/classical-music/hatuey-memory-of-fire|access-date=2020-08-24|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en}}</ref> In the visual arts, multiple artists have used the Taíno chief's image, most notably [[Cuban Americans|Cuban-American]] artist [[Ric Garcia]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hatuey: Rebel Chief – MARYLAND MILESTONES|url=https://www.anacostiatrails.org/hatuey-rebel-chief|access-date=2020-08-24|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815133029/http://www.anacostiatrails.org/hatuey-rebel-chief|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] artist Donald Dickson,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Conner|first=Owen L.|date=2020-08-06|title=The Drinks of the Marine Corps: Hatuey Beer|url=https://www.usmcmuseum.com/blog/the-drinks-of-the-marine-corps-hatuey-beer|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226035604/https://www.usmcmuseum.com/blog/the-drinks-of-the-marine-corps-hatuey-beer|archive-date=2021-02-26|access-date=2021-08-04|website=National Museum of the Marine Corps|language=en}}</ref> and [[Australians|Australian]] artist damefine,<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=21 December 2010|title=Hatuey Chooses Hell by damefine|url=https://www.deviantart.com/damefine/art/Hatuey-Chooses-Hell-190357194|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-24|website=www.deviantart.com|language=en}}</ref> among others.

==See also==
*[[List of Taínos]]
*[[Taíno people]]
*[[Radbod of Frisia]], who had a similar claim to "be in hell than to go to heaven".

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Hatuey|year=1892|short=x|notaref=x}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:15th-century births]]
[[Category:1512 deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century people from the Colony of Santo Domingo]]
[[Category:Pagan martyrs]]
[[Category:People executed by Spain by burning]]
[[Category:People executed for refusing to convert to Christianity]]
[[Category:Taíno leaders]]
[[Category:Place of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Violent deaths in Cuba]]
[[Category:Taíno people from Cuba]]