Taíno
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The Taíno were the Indigenous peoples in most of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas. Their culture has been continued today by their descendants and by Taíno revivalist communiti
Statue of Agüeybaná II, "El Bravo" in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Reconstruction of a Taíno village in El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba
Dujo, a wooden ceremonial chair crafted by Taínos
Caguana ceremonial ball court (batey) in Puerto Rico, outlined with stones
Zemi
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A zemi or cemi was a deity or ancestral spirit, and a sculptural object housing the spirit, among the Taíno people of the Caribbean. Cemi’no or Zemi’no is the plural word for the spirits.
Taíno
…societies ruled by caciques with fixed settlements under a matrilineal system of kinship and inheritance, and a religion centered on the worship of zemis. At the time of European contact, they shared land with older Indigenous inhabitants, namely the Guanajatabeyes in Cuba, and the Ciguayos and the Macorix…
Zemi figure, Ironwood with shell inlay. 27 in. (68.5 cm) high. Dominican Republic: 15th-16th century. The bowl atop the figure's head was used to hold cohoba during rituals.
Taino Zemi mask from Walters Art Museum
Three-pointed sculpture with carved face c. 1000-1494 CE