Taino Museum Archives - Page 2 of 7

Effigy vessel

A frog effigy vessel from Taino culture. This culture had its origins in Northern south America. In the impoverished fauna of the Antilles, lacking the large and impressive reptilian predators of the Amazonian and Orinoco floodplains, like the anaconda and the black cayman, the small and humble frog comes to occupy an important iconographic place…

Zemies represented deities and each social group could choose their own zemies. There could exist rivalries among the various zemies. Zemies were manufactured from every suitable material available and in all sizes. Here we have the ones which were used as pendants or otherwise tied to the forehead and whose function was to serve as…

The first triangular three pointers existed in stone and shell and were small and undecorated. They date from the first migration by ceramic bearing people in the lesser Antilles about 200 B.C. In time they became the most significant artifact of the Taino culture and received complex decorations. They could represent social status, political power,…

Zoomorphic representation of a small zemi. An animist conception of nature is characteristic for indigenous beliefs. Human traits are attributed to animals, which are considered to be embodiments of mythological beings. Living creatures were believed to have a dual existence and could transform themselves, into animals.

The indigenes elaborated cups using shells. The rounded form of the Charonia variegata gives a good possibility to make a cup. This shell is frequently present in Caribbean waters and is a good stuff to eat and for making tools, ornaments and so on. Cups were part of the household and were made for containing…

Wood was used for making many things which went from ceremonial to household artifacts, canoes for transportation and houses. One of the techniques for working wood was to burn the inside out of the piece you would prepare. The trick was to keep the fire burning in the right places by blowing on it. When…

The indigenous people had no nails, no screws, no sticky tape, and no good glue, so they used string and rope to hold things together. They picked up things like roots, berries, oysters, clams, and other shellfish for eating and they used baskets for bringing home what they had gathered. Unfortunately, baskets or strings do…

The stone was first battered into general shape with irregular, discoidal or rectangular hammergrinder. Then it was pecked to create the grit. A large amount of knowledge and experience was needed to create such stone mortars. The artisan had to be familiar with the characteristics of the stone fracture zone and its hardness. In the…

This shell scraper was a part of the bivalve codakia orbicularis. This was utilized in natural shape, taking advantage of the round end of the bivalve. With this the indigenous people peeled of the rind from the manioc before shredding the root, extracting its poisonous juice, and cooking it on a flat, clay griddle. The…

Human skull decorated with reptilian figure representing a lizard. Shamans were individuals incharge of communicating with the gods, in order to predict the future, help the people to take group decisions and healing ailments. Shamans looked to obtain positive qualities from animals which would help them communicate with the gods during their visionary trips. We…

Portfolio Tag: Taino Museum

Effigy vessel

Zemis collection

Three pointers

Small Zemi

Shell Cup

Wood Daily Life Instruments

Daily life instruments

Decorated stone mortar

Shell scraper for food preparation

Decorated human skull

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