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The Taino flourished in the Caribbean between
c.1200-1500, until the Spanish conquest
wrecked havoc on their way of life. At the time of
Columbus's arrival in 1492, there were five Taíno
kingdoms or territories on Hispaniola, each led
by a principal cacique (chieftain) to whom tribute
was paid. At this date, the largest Taíno
population centres may have contained around
3,000 people or more. It was an incredibly
sophisticated agricultural society with a
developed cosmology and ritual system. A great
deal of social interaction, trade and religious
ceremony seems to have been conducted at the
ball games and the ball courts were similar in
layout to others discovered in Mesoamerica and
lowland South America.
There are several possibilities as to the identity
of the figure portrayed in this stone sculpture. It
may represent a Taino shaman and this
hypothesis seems to be supported by the
squatting position. Shamans were believed to be
able to communicate with the souls of the dead
when transported into a trance-like state
through the inhalation of the hallucinogenic
cohoba. During this ritual they crouched, with
their knees bent and their legs folded in beneath
them. Alternatively the figure may represent a
zemi- the physical manifestation of a Taino god,
spirit or ancestor. It bears many of the hallmarks
of such figures, namely the skeletal appearance,
circular eyes with sunken orbits and wide gaping
mouth. The spine and the ribs are clearly visible
on the reverse, carved in bold abbreviated
strokes. Ancestor worship was fundamental to
Taino culture, particularly to the political
authority of the caciques, who were deified upon
death and regularly venerated by their
successors. Whilst an element of mystery will
continue to surround this object and its precise
function- it continues to fascinate and impress
us today.
- (PF.1222a)
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