This wooden seat was used by chiefs in the Caribbean Taino culture during ceremonial communication with the spirit world.
Wooden seat carved in the shape of an ancestor spirit by the Taino, one of the pre-European, native Caribbean peoples.
This wooden seat known as a duho was sculpted by a Taino artisan. The Taino were one of the pre-European, native peoples of the Caribbean. It is carved in the shape of an ancestor spirit known as a cemi. Duhos were used to communicate with the spirit world. A Taino chief would sit in his duho and then snort psychedelic snuff made from the seeds of the cohoba tree. They would then ask the spirits for advice on the future, such as whether to go to war.
