Materials Archives - Page 4 of 6

Ceremonial petaloide axe

On several petaloide axes, meaning shaped like flower petals, we have seen that the decoration covered the entire piece. It shoes a squatting anthropomorphic figure which covers the entire piece. The figure becomes wholly integrated into the functional form giving it a sacred and magical sense. This piece had been designated as effigy axe.

This sculptured stone had an oval shape. An anthropomorphic figure was carved in the stone s upper portion and the opposite side was made smooth and convex. This form did not have any indentations by which they might have been hafted or attached to a staff or handle. Its function is unclear. It pertains to…

Three pointer with zoomorphic representation

This three pointer was carved from stone and had a triangular shape. It was decorated with a zoomorphic design. It was a symbol of power and fertility. Some of the three pointer were routinely buried in the plantations called conucos, to ensure the growth of the plants. Others were part of the shrines where the…

Ceramic Vessel with tortoise representation

Many Taino objects are in the shape of turtles, an important animal in Taino creation myths. The female tortoise, a feature common to other universal myths, takes on a human role and becomes the Taino Eve.

Wood container with owl representation. The owl is a bird of ill omen that announces the proximity of death, and inhabits a mythical world. By following the cosmic flight of the owl, the behiques could see and talk to the spirits and enter the region of the dead to rescue the soul of an ailing…

The Antilles were first settled by small, nomadic groups, perhaps bands of 30 to 100 people, who, arrive approximately 6000 years ago. They lived by hunting, gathering and fishing. Pottery and agriculture were unknown to them. The tools used by these first groups that extended throughout the Antilles were artifacts made of polished stone, mortars,…

These axes had the shape of a petal from a flower and were generally manufactured from stone. They were celts hafted into wooden handles. They were used to clear land, carve canoes or other wooden objects and cut manioc roots. The very polished ones appear to have had ceremonial functions. They existed in all farmers…

The snake is part of an important mythological triumvirate who dominated the cosmology of the people from the Orinoco-Amazon region. Most of the culture groups who arrived in the Antillean islands originated from this region. The snake exemplified by the anaconda represented the subaquatic world. Since anacondas did not exist in the islands this specie…

Amerindian ceramic vessel were mostly formed with the coil method, in which strips of wet clay are jointed in circular patterns fused together to make cups, bowls, jars etc. The geometric design of this bowl shows a sequence of points under the rim. This appears most frequently in the Meillac culture, which is the one…

Shamans played an important role in Taíno society as medical practitioners, using an hallucinogenic preparation named "Cohoba" to get in trance and to contact the spirits for help to determine the cause of the illnesses. The Shaman recited sacred chants accompanied of maracas to play a rhythm. He produced a stone amulet and which he…

Portfolio Category: Materials

Ceremonial petaloide axe

Decorated elliptical grinding stone

Three pointer with zoomorphic representation

Ceramic Vessel with tortoise representation

Wood container

Polished stone

Petaloid axes

Wooden snake

Globular bowl with geometric design

Small stone zemi

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