Face shell
Zemi
This is a stone pendent or amulet. The squatting position of this and other amulets has been associated with the flexed position in which the Tainos generally buried their dead.
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Chisel
Taino were able to carve large works of art in stone and other materials. They used tools like chisels made of stone and shell. They were especially used to cut stone, wood, bone and shell as well as for finishing touches. When working with this tool, the artisans used a percutor which was a round…
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Silex carvers
The first groups that arrived at the island of La Hispaniola were carvers of silex or flint, from which they made various artefacts such as pointed tips for handles or weapons, knives, scrapers, hammers, burins, drills, chisels and chopping blocks. Their way of life was nomadic, and they lived from hunting, gathering and fishing. One…
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Body decoration
Perforated shell plaques used for belts. Belts were usually composed of varied elements like beads, animal teeth which were inserted, by means of a string, between shell and-or bone plaques which had been previously perforated in different places. Body decoration was frequent among the Tainos. They used to paint their bodies and wear collars, belts…
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Duho
Duho or seat made from a single piece of wood, representing an anthropomorphic figure with sculptured head and engraved geometric designs on the back, used for the cohoba ritual. The Duho was also used by the cacique while watching the ball game played by the Tainos. The head represented the deification of the dog called…
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Stone collar
Stone collars are large stone rings. They date approximately from 600 AD to 1500 AD they are artifacts used at public ceremonies and would have to be visible to many people at the same time. They were produced to communicate and reinforce religious or social messages.
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Stone grater
Stone graters were made for grating foodstuff. The most important one was the cassava root. There are two varieties of yucca, a sweet one and a bitter one. The bitter contains an acid substance which intoxicates if eaten raw, and it was with this yucca that the Tainos made the cassava bread. The Spaniards adopted…
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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
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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