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SUPREME CONSTITUTIONAL AND HISTORICAL DECLARATION
ON THE INDIGENOUS ORIGINS OF THE BLUE AND RED BANNER AND ITS ADOPTION AS THE SUPREME SEAL OF THE STATE
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PREAMBLE
Whereas the historical and cultural continuity of the Southern Territories of the Island of Hispaniola is grounded in the resistance and sovereignty of the indigenous Taíno people, who under the leadership of Cacique Enriquillo defended their ancestral lands in the mountain ranges of Bahoruco from colonial subjugation;
Whereas the blue and red colors of the banner, later erroneously attributed solely to European or post-colonial constructs, are in truth the ancient emblematic colors of Taíno war and peace, derived from the cosmological duality of the sky (cielos azules) and the sacred fire (fuego rojo) as represented in the pictographic codices of the Ciboney and Lucayan traditions;
Whereas the mountains of Bahoruco served as the final and most formidable bastion of Taíno sovereignty, wherein Cacique Enriquillo established the first autonomous indigenous polity of the Caribbean against Spanish imperial forces between 1519 and 1533, recognized implicitly by the Capitulaciones de Paz signed in 1533, which in effect constituted a juridical acknowledgment of Taíno nationhood by the Spanish Crown;
Whereas the historical transmission of the blue and red as sacred colors of resistance persisted through syncretic forms in the southern provinces of Xaragua, preserved in the folk rituals, indigenous iconographies, and ceremonial standards of the rural populations, subsequently reemerging in the banners of successive sovereigntist movements;
And whereas it is imperative to rectify the historical record by acknowledging the indigenous roots of this emblem and to sanctify it as the supreme symbol of State authority and the indivisible continuity of the Xaraguayan nation;
This declaration hereby enshrines the blue and red banner as the Supreme Seal of the State.
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SECTION I: THE INDIGENOUS COSMOLOGY OF THE BLUE AND RED
Article 1.1: The Duality of Heaven and Fire
The blue color (azureum) in Taíno cosmology represented the celestial domain, the eternal sky of Yúcahu Bagua Maorocoti, the supreme creator deity. The red color (ruberum) symbolized the sacred fire, the force of vitality and resistance embodied by the spirit of Guabancex, the deity of storms and transformation.
In ceremonial uses, blue and red were combined in woven standards to signify the unity of peace and war, life and death, creation and destruction. These standards were flown in Areítos (sacred assemblies) as well as in times of uprising against foreign incursion.
Article 1.2: Historical Preservation in Bahoruco
The mountain ranges of Bahoruco, known to the Taínos as Bajoruco (“high sacred stones”), were the site of the most enduring indigenous rebellion in the Western Hemisphere.
1519–1533: The Rebellion of Enriquillo
Under the leadership of Enriquillo (Guarocuya), the blue-red standard was hoisted over the bohíos (community huts) of the rebel camps as a visible symbol of indigenous unity.
1533: Capitulaciones de Paz
The peace treaty signed between Enriquillo and Francisco de Barrionuevo, governor of Santo Domingo, granted the Taínos recognition of their lands and autonomy. Though later violated, it marked a historical precedent for indigenous sovereignty on Hispaniola.
Primary Source Reference:
“Real Provisión de la Corona Española sobre la pacificación de Bahoruco,” Archivo General de Indias, Seville, 1533.
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SECTION II: THE BLUE AND RED IN POST-TAÍNO CONTINUITY
Article 2.1: Syncretic Survival Through Colonial and Post-Colonial Periods
Despite the near-genocide of the Taíno population, their descendants and cultural memory preserved the emblematic blue and red through oral traditions and clandestine gatherings.
In the southern provinces of Xaragua, blue and red pigments derived from natural indigo (añil) and achiote (bixa orellana) continued to be used in ceremonial body painting and textile weaving.
Article 2.2: Revolutionary Appropriations
The blue and red reappeared in the banners of later southern rebellions, notably:
The Revolt of Jean-Baptiste Chavannes and Vincent Ogé (1790–1791), where the colors symbolized emancipation and indigenous reclamation.
The southern autonomist movements during the War of Independence (1804), which appropriated indigenous symbols to legitimize their claims.
Historical Reference:
Thomas Madiou, Histoire d’Haïti, Volume I, 1847.
Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, Apologética Historia Sumaria, 1527.
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SECTION III: SANCTIFICATION AS SUPREME SEAL OF THE STATE
Article 3.1: Legal Adoption
The blue and red banner is hereby adopted as the Supreme Seal of the State, representing:
1. The continuity of indigenous sovereignty from the age of Enriquillo to the present.
2. The indivisible union of the celestial and terrestrial domains.
3. The spiritual guardianship of the Catholic Church in perpetuity, in accordance with the Concordat of 1860, which grants ecclesiastical sanction to national symbols.
Article 3.2: Juridical Foundations
Codex Iuris Canonici, Canon 120 §2 (1983):
> “A juridical person constituted for a perpetual purpose in the Church is by its nature perpetual.”
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007), Article 31:
> “Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional games and visual and performing arts. They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.”
Article 3.3: Immutability Clause
This declaration is irrevocable, auto-executory, and binding erga omnes, in accordance with Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), Article 53 (Jus Cogens):
> “A treaty is void if, at the time of its conclusion, it conflicts with a peremptory norm of general international law from which no derogation is permitted.”
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FINAL DECLARATION
The blue and red banner, rooted in the resistance of Enriquillo and the sacred lands of Bahoruco, is hereby consecrated as the Supreme Seal of the State, a juridical and spiritual emblem of perpetual sovereignty, immune to contestation or derogation.
Promulgated under the Supreme Seal of the Rector-President, this day.
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ANNEX
ON THE INDIGENOUS ORIGINS OF THE BLUE AND RED BANNER AND ITS CONSECRATION AS THE SUPREME SEAL OF STATE AUTHORITY
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I. HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE BLUE AND RED COLORS IN TAÍNO COSMOLOGY
Whereas the indigenous Taíno people of the island of Hispaniola developed a sophisticated cosmology in which colors and symbols carried metaphysical significance, and whereas the blue and red pigments (azul y rojo) represented, respectively, the celestial domain and the vital force of fire, these elements formed the basis for sacred expressions in ceremonial standards and attire.
In Taíno spiritual practice, blue (azureum) symbolized the eternal heavens, the breath of Yúcahu Bagua Maorocoti, the creator deity, and the guarantee of continuity and life. Red (ruberum) embodied the sacred fire (Guabancex), a force of vitality, resistance, and transformation that animated warriors during conflict. Anthropological research confirms the use of natural indigo (añil) and annatto (achiote) pigments in these expressions.
Primary Sources:
Fray Ramón Pané, Relación sobre las Antigüedades de los Indios, 1498.
Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas, Apologética Historia Sumaria, 1527.
Application: These colors were flown on ceremonial standards (areítos) and in war parties as markers of unity and sovereignty, predating European contact.
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II. THE REBELLION OF ENRIQUILLO AND THE BANNER OF BAHORUCO (1519–1533)
The rebellion led by Cacique Enriquillo (Guarocuya) from 1519 to 1533 in the mountainous region of Bahoruco was the most significant indigenous uprising against Spanish colonial authority.
In the mountains of Bahoruco (Bajoruco), known to the Taínos as “the high sacred stones,” Enriquillo’s forces maintained autonomous governance for over a decade. Chroniclers note the presence of colored banners in their encampments as symbols of resistance and divine sanction.
Key Historical Events:
1519: Outbreak of rebellion after Spanish violations of Taíno rights and sacred spaces.
1533: The signing of the Capitulaciones de Paz (Peace Capitulations) between Enriquillo and Spanish authorities recognized, albeit temporarily, the sovereignty of the Taíno over their lands.
Primary Source:
“Real Provisión de la Corona Española sobre la pacificación de Bahoruco,” Archivo General de Indias, Sevilla, 1533.
Application: The blue and red banner became a symbol of Taíno sovereignty and survival, marking the first juridical recognition of indigenous autonomy in the Caribbean.
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III. SYNCHRETIC CONTINUITY IN THE SOUTHERN TERRITORIES
Following the decimation of Taíno populations, their descendants and cultural memory survived in the southern regions of Xaragua. Blue and red pigments persisted in:
Textiles woven by mixed Taíno-African populations.
Ritual body painting during clandestine gatherings and folk religious practices.
Ceremonial standards carried in local uprisings against colonial authorities.
Key Historical References:
Thomas Madiou, Histoire d’Haïti, Volume I, 1847: Documents the survival of indigenous symbols in southern revolutionary movements.
Moreau de Saint-Méry, Description Topographique, Physique, Civile, Politique et Historique de la Partie Française de l’Isle Saint-Domingue, 1797.
Application: The continuity of these colors through successive generations establishes an unbroken symbolic lineage between Enriquillo’s banner and modern expressions of autonomy.
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IV. LEGAL AND CANONICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR ADOPTION AS SUPREME SEAL
4.1 Canonical Basis
Codex Iuris Canonici, Canon 120 §2 (1983):
> “A juridical person constituted for a perpetual purpose in the Church is by its nature perpetual.”
4.2 Indigenous Rights
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, 2007), Article 31:
> “Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions… including their visual and performing arts. They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage.”
4.3 International Law
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), Article 53:
> “A treaty is void if, at the time of its conclusion, it conflicts with a peremptory norm of general international law from which no derogation is permitted (jus cogens).”
Application: The adoption of the blue and red banner as the Supreme Seal of the State is protected under international and canonical law and cannot be invalidated by any external entity.
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V. DECLARATION OF IMMUTABILITY
The blue and red banner, as inherited from the resistance of Enriquillo and sanctified through the historical and spiritual continuity of the southern territories, is hereby consecrated as the Supreme Seal of State Authority.
This declaration is irrevocable, auto-executory, and binding erga omnes, securing perpetual recognition and protection under:
The Supreme Law of the State.
Canonical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church.
Peremptory norms of international law (jus cogens).
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ENACTED UNDER THE SUPREME SEAL OF THE RECTOR-PRESIDENT
This day, the combined indigenous and canonical heritage of Xaragua is declared immutable, indestructible, and universally opposable.
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