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Three-pointers (‘trigonolitos’) were triangular-
shaped stones that played a central role in the
religious culture of the Taino. Flourishing in the
Caribbean c.1200-1500, these communities
were the first to be seriously affected by Spanish
colonists in the late fifteenth century. The
destruction brought about by the settlers makes
the reconstruction of the Taino way of life
problematic but not impossible. Hereditary
chieftains (caciques) ruled over agricultural
communities who were also skilled navigators
and canoeists. Religiously, the Taino worshipped
a variety of deities, or zemis, who were believed
to control the elements. The most important
were the supreme god or creator called Yucahu
Maorocoti and a fertility goddess called
Attabeira. Ancestor worship was also
fundamental and chieftains were often deified
after their death. Crucially, the Taino believed in
the existence of an afterlife and the bones of
deceased ancestors were treated with veneration.
Although burial practices seem to have differed
from island to island, Spanish records testify that
bones were often hung in gourds from the
rafters of Taino dwellings. This type of practice
may account for the emphasis on skeletal forms
that is evident across the whole spectrum of
Taino art.
This carving is a case in point, featuring a skull-
like face with a protruding forehead, deep eye-
sockets and a small nose. The proportions of the
face are deliberately manipulated and dominated
by the wide grimacing mouth/jaw. The
protruding ear-like sections are deeply carved
and geometric in form. In contrast, the
symmetrical geometric designs on the reverse
are very lightly incised, and consist of four coils
set around an irregular oval. This type of motif
may recall Taino textiles or tattoos worn by high
status individuals. The stone itself is particularly
fine, of a dark brown/green hue with black
flecks. The central point of the triangular form is
unusually tall in relation to the rest of the piece.
Although there have been many hypotheses as to
the meaning of this shape, it clearly has some
association with power and/or fertility.
Columbus himself gives an eye-witness account
to this affect, 'Equally the majority of caciques
(chiefs) have three stones to which they and their
people have great devotion. One they say is for
the fertility of the grain and vegetables that they
grow; the next for mothers to give birth without
pain, and the third for the water and sun when
they have need.’ Although quite a large number
of three-pointers have survived owing to the
durability of the material, it is hard to find
examples of such quality and expression.
- (LO.1319)
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