The Taino people lived in the Greater Antilles, from Cuba to the Virgin Islands, as well as the Bahamas, occupying the islands from c800-1500AD. They brought the lithic talents of pan America to the islands forming a homogeny of artistic influences incorporating animal allies, natural phenomena, and shamanism. What is interesting is this creative impetus was centered on the ceremonial consumption of the hallucinogen cohoba. Literally all ritual art was considered living, imbued with spiritual beings who shared their wisdom during altered states of consciousness. The Taino aesthetic is a wonderful mix of environmental and spiritual elements. Using nothing more than Stone Age tools, native craftsmen carved local semiprecious stones creating magnificent mythical beings, ancestral representations, and shamanic transformations that is unmatched in pre-Columbian art.
The Taino art pictured in this website are from various local and international collections. Some share this site as examples of the Taino aesthetic displayed only for visual enrichment. Others wish to discretely disperse their holdings. Therefore inquiries can be made using my email address
