Zemi taino

A zemi or cemi was a deity or ancestral spirit, and a sculptural object housing the spirit, among the Taíno people of the Caribbean. Zemís, religious sculptures made of many materials including woo stone, ceramic, bone, and shell, and in many forms from small to large, as here, were the . Geography: Dominican Republic (?), Caribbean.

MediuWood (Guaiacum sp.), shell. Taíno zemí of Deminán Caracaracol AD 1200–1500. Andrés, Dominican Republic Clay x x cm. Taíno zemí of Itiba Cahubaba AD 1200–1500.

Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic Clay x x cm. The zemi controlled various functions of the universe, very much like Greek gods. The Cemi stone, with its three cardinal points, is a fundamental symbol in the Taino religion. Many Tainos name the three points Yocahu Bagua Maorocoti, .