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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I will be my pleasure to assist with any questions or additional images.

Book 1

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“Taino Sculpture Art of the Gods”. An introduction to Taino art and its ceremonial purpose. 200 pages and 153 color photographs. TAINO art is the last unexplored pre Columbian aesthetic produced for magico-religious events. The sculptures represented anthropic gods and animal deities. So precious were these pieces that they were passed from one generation to the next until Spanish iconoclasts forced the TAINO to hide them. The beautiful reliquary represented in TAINO sculptures reveal the cultural and spiritual legacy of this forgotten culture. Author Larry Roberts

Book 2

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"Taino Hallucinogenic Implements Inhaling the Cosmic Dust". 144 pages 275 color pages. The first and only publication of Taino hallucinogenic devices. A rarely discussed topic in anthropology. The inhalers and other implements were used to inhale the botanical ethnogen, cohoba and other visionary drugs. Fortunately the Taino were prolific stone carvers who left us a a lithic legacy that gives insight to ritual diving and metaphysical transformation. Author, Larry Roberts

Book 3

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"Taino Zemis and Other Heads of State, Rediscovering Caribbean Art”. Over 300 page and 500 photographs of previously unpublished images. The book explores new concepts of spiritual, natural, and physiological phenomena that gave shape to Taino art. The craftsmanship, creativity and technological expertise applied by Taino artisans sets the standard for lithic Innovation among existing pan-Caribbean cultures. Author, Larry Roberts