Pre-Columbian, Hispaniola, Arawak Peoples, Taino Native Indians, 1000-1500 CE.

This is an ancestor sculpture from the Arawak Peoples of the Greater Antilles Islands.

Sometimes described to a broader category of Taino art called -zemis-. This term refers to the physical incarnation of a Taino god, spirit or ancestor. While the precise function of such objects remain somewhat a mystery- they continue to impress us with their bold abstract form and magical associations.

In the seminal book TAINO, Pre-Columbian Art and Culture from the Caribbean published by the El Museo del Barrio, these are discussed at length as private power-objects used in egalitarian tribes to later, large anthropomorphic depictions in public ritual to legitimize the hierarchical social structure of complex chiefdoms.

Rare Prominent Eye Socket and Decorative incised Hair Band

This remarkable sculpture of a zemi figure is carved in a seldom seen extended and arched high back form from a dark dense stone. This quintessential example has a large conically formed central raised point, a Zemi figure face which was meticulously hand pecked and incised with round deep-socketed eyes, prominent nasal cavities, wide open mouth, and lobed ears. On the back are finely incised stylized geometric motifs representing tattooing or scarification, adding to the impressive aesthetic presence of this piece. Some scholars find that zemis with their prominent pointed shapes relate to fertility myths.

A carving of this complexity, quality and size must have belonged to a chieftain -caciques- or ranking member of the royal household. Although Taino left no written documents, Spanish settlers did record native practices and one account refers to special structures in which chieftains stored their trove of zemi carvings. The Taino believed in existence of afterlife and Shamanic ability to communicate with the dead. This sculpture may well have been present and on display in such a ceremony or perhaps a focus of ancestor worship. This remarkably evocative work allows us to peak into ancient splendors of Taino civilization.

Dimensions: 10.5 inches high on our custom display stand and 7 inches wide and 5 inches deep, a heavy carving

Hand carved exhibiting dark original patina from great age. . Venerated. An important and scarce work of art from America’s Carribean islands.

Provenance: Old Florida collection.

Taino History:
The Taino flourished from 1200-1500.
When Columbus arrived in America, the first people he encountered were the Taino People- inhabitants of the islands of the northern Caribbean Sea, known as Hispaniola. They were Arawakan-speaking people who at the time of Christopher Columbus’s exploration inhabited Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Once the most numerous indigenous people of the Caribbean, the Taino may have numbered several million at the time of the Spanish conquest in the late 15th century.

Their highly developed belief system focused on zemi ancestor or god worship. A zemi was the physical manifestation of a god, spirit or ancestor. The chieftain -caciques- encouraged ancestor worship and were often deified after death. The religious leaders or shamans were thought to be able to communicate with the souls of the dead when intoxicated by the hallucinogenic cohoba. A preoccupation with death is evident in many Taino art-forms and partly explains the prevalence of zoomorphic images. Bats, owls and frogs were all popular motifs and were regarded as harbingers of life after death. The Taino believed that the dead could be reborn in animal form and some believe animals were their earliest ancestors in Taino creation myth. hence we find their zoomorphic sculptures as combinations of human and animal forms particularly provocative and great conversational art. The creator god was known as Yúcahu Maórocoti, encouraging growth of staple foods, like cassava. The goddess was Attabeira, who regulated and dominated over water, rivers, and seas.

Their contribution to the Spanish includes Indian corn, tobacco, rubber balls to unique art and artifacts, plus a new vocabulary. Importantly, the Taino lasting effects on Western civilization, though through brief contact, was an important and lasting one.

Lifetime guarantee of authenticity: All of our works of art come with our Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee.

We have been collecting and dealing in authentic Art of Native America, American Art, Folk Art and pyrography works of art for more than twenty five years. Our president has authored informative articles on collecting pyrography and has amassed a fine large collection which is now being deaccesssioned. He personally inspects each antique work of art to ensure its old age, authenticity and quality condition.