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Portfolio Category: Stone

Necklace of stone beads

Necklace of stone beads
The Taino liked to adorn their body with paint, jewelry, and other decorative objects. Necklaces were made of stone, shell or animal teeth. Occasionally extra holes were made on the beads for attaching other ornaments such as feathers. In certain circumstances amulets in the form of a small figure in squatting position were incorporated between…
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Fishing net weights

Fishing net weights
The net weights were often made of stone found in the rivers which were then dented on both sides only in order to fix them at the net. Taino people fished with nets and weirs, bone and shell hooks, spears, and occasionally bows and arrows. Not all segments of the society had the same level…
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Ceremonial petaloide axe

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.
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Decorated elliptical grinding stone

Decorated elliptical grinding stone
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…
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Three pointer with zoomorphic representation

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…
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Polished stone

Polished stone
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,…
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Petaloid axes

Petaloid axes
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…
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Small stone zemi

Small stone zemi
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…
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Ceremonial Axes

Ceremonial Axes
Axes were objects with different uses:  daily use, for war and for religious purposes. The monolithic axes were manufactured from one piece of stone and show important ornamentation. Generally they were used by high hierarchic groups of the Taino society in magic-religious ceremonies.
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Stone carved in a oval shape

Stone carved in a oval shape
This is an artifact similar to several others which have been specifically found in northern Haiti, however their purpose is still unknown. It is a stone which was carved into an oval shape. Its inferior part has four legs and there is a sculpted figure on its front. The stone is a medium to fine…
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