![Deity Figure (Zemí) MET DP295635](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Deity_Figure_%28Zem%C3%AD%29_MET_DP295635.jpg)
A zemi or cemi was a deity or ancestral spirit, and a sculptural object housing the spirit, among the
Taíno
The Taíno were a historic Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture has been continued today by Taíno descendant communities and Taíno revivalist communities. At the time of European contact in the ...
people of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
.
[Bercht et al, 23] They were also created by indigenous
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
ns.
[Bercht et al, 24]
Theology
Taíno religion, as recorded by late 15th and 16th century
Spaniard
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ind ...
s, centered on a supreme creator god and a fertility goddess. The creator god is
Yúcahu Maórocoti and he governs the growth of the staple food, the
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively ...
. The goddess is
Attabeira, who governs water, rivers, and seas. Lesser deities govern natural forces and are also zemis.
[Bercht et al, 23] Boinayel, the Rain Giver, is one such zemi, whose magical tears become rainfall.
["Deity Figure (Zemi) Dominican Republic; Taino (1979.206.380)"]
In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000 October 2006; retrieved 22 September 2009
Spirits of ancestors, also zemis, were highly honored, particularly those of
cacique
A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...
s or chiefs. Bones or skulls might be incorporated into sculptural zemis or
reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...
urns. Ancestral remains would be housed in shrines and given offerings, such as food.
[
Zemis could be consulted by medicine people for advice and healing.][Corbett, Bob]
Arawak/Taino Related Myths.
''Cuba Heritage.'' (retrieved 19 Sept 2009) During these consultation ceremonies, images of the zemi could be painted or tattooed on the body of a priest, who was known as a ''Bohuti'' or ''Buhuithu''. The reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...
zemis would help their own descendants in particular.[Joyce, 193]
Religious art
Sculptural zemis, or "amulet
An amulet, also known as a good luck charm or phylactery, is an object believed to confer protection upon its possessor. The word "amulet" comes from the Latin word amuletum, which Pliny's ''Natural History'' describes as "an object that protects ...
ic zemis", take many forms,[ but the most characteristically Taíno art form is the three-point stone zemi.] One side of the stone might have a human or animal head with the opposite side having hunched legs. These are sometimes known as "frog's legs" due to their positioning. The fierce face of the creator god is often portrayed. Very small ceramic three-point zemis have been uncovered by archaeologists in the Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
, as well as Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
and Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, dating back to 200 BCE.[ Small amuletic zemis would be worn on warriors' foreheads for protection in battle.][Joyce, 193]
Zemis are sculpted from a wide variety of materials, including bone, clay, wood, shell, sandstone, and stone.[ They are found in ]Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
, Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
, Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, and other Caribbean islands. Some are quite large, up to 100 cm tall. Some are effigies of birds, snakes, alligators and other animals,[ but most are human effigies. Even twin human figures are portrayed.
Wooden zemis were preserved in relatively dry caves. It is believed that Taíno people hid their ceremonial objects in caves, away from the Spanish, or destroyed them to avoid having them fall into Spanish hands.][Bercht et al, 30]
Beaded zemis
Two of the most elaborate surviving zemis are housed in European museums. One is a belt with a zemi from the Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...
. The belt dates from circa 1530 and is made of cotton, white and red snail shells, black seeds, pearls, glass, and obsidian
Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock.
Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements s ...
. It is housed in the Museum für Völkerkunde in Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.[Bercht et al, 159]
The second is housed in the Pigorini National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography
The "Luigi Pigorini" National Museum of Prehistory and Ethnography is a public and research museum located in Rome, Italy. Established in 1875 and opened in 1876 by Luigi Pigorini, from 2016 it is one of the four museums inside the Museum of Ci ...
in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. Until 1952, it was wrongly labeled as an African fetish, but scholars have confirmed that it is Taíno from the early 16th century and exhibits elements of Caribbean, European, and African artistic influences.
Gallery
Three-pointed stone owned by Mr Yunghannis, of Bayamón, Puerto Rico.jpg, Three-pointed stone which was in the private collection of Mr. Yunghannis of Bayamón, in the late 19th century
Three-pointed sculpture with carved face (zimi), Taino Culture, Puerto Rico, c. 1000-1494 AD, stone - Fitchburg Art Museum - DSC08790.JPG, Three-pointed sculpture with carved face c. 1000-1494 CE
See also
* Museo el Cemí
The Museo el Cemí is a history museum in Coabey barrio in Jayuya, Puerto Rico which opened in 1989. The museum building is a replica of a Cemí and showcases Taíno
The Taíno were a historic indigenous people of the Caribbean whose culture ...
Notes
References
* Bercht, Fatima, Estrellita Brodsky, John Alan Farmer, and Dicey Taylor. ''Taíno: Pre-Columbian Art and Culture from the Caribbean.'' New York: Monacelli Press, 1997. .
* Joyce, Thomas Athol
''Central American and West Indian Archaeology: Being an Introduction to The Archaeology of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and the West Indies.''
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1916 (retrieved through Google Books, 19 Sept 2009).
External links
Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Reckoning with Mestizaje,” ''Vistas: Visual Culture in Spanish America, 1520-1820.''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zemi
Taíno mythology
Religion in the Caribbean
Indigenous sculpture of the Americas