The symbol of the eternal lovers is usually shown as birds connected by their beaks, or a possible love scene. For the Taino, eternal love was important. As there was no belief in private property, everything that was grown or killed belonged to the entire tribe. The eternal lovers represent equality amongst the tribe as well as fertility.
What is the meaning of the Taino symbol?
It is the Sacred Badge of Authority according to the Taino and is indicative of tribal blood lineage. The symbol is traditionally carried by the Cacique of the tribe to cement their authority. The spiral is a common symbol found in Taino art. It is a representation of cosmic energy and its unendingness. It is also representative of sweet water.
What do the Eternal Lovers represent in the Taino culture?
The eternal lovers represent equality amongst the tribe as well as fertility. The Taino Indians were an ancient civilization originating from what is now Puerto Rico. Ancient inhabitants of the region, the Taino Indians left behind narratives and tales in the form of these symbols.
Did the Tainos carve symbols with human-like faces?
Tainos may have also carved zemi spirits or gods with human-like faces. How old are these symbols? Ancient petroglyphs or symbols carved into rock by prehistoric peoples reveal how they envisioned the world around them.
What did cohoba symbolize in the Taínos?
Birds like cranes and herons were often given human characteristics, and they usually were interpreted as symbols of being masculine. Cohoba was the main deity of the Taínos. The plate of his head was used in the ceremony to inhale hallucinogen in ceremonial rituals.
What symbols are important to Tainos?
Puerto Rican Warrior Symbols. The Taino coqui tattoo, which represents the Puerto Rican coqui, the frog, displays an encircled leaping frog – a symbol of longevity. Similar Puerto Rican warrior symbols include lizards, turtles, and snakes – each which translated to survival and strength.
Did the Tainos have tattoos?
“As a pre-columbian society the Taino had no written alphabet. Instead they had a language called Arawakan, which consisted of petroglyphs, artistic symbols that were carved on rocks. These artful symbols were also tattooed. Taino men had tattoos for spiritual purposes, the women had piercings.”
What does the Taino snail mean?
For the Taino, snails and conches held particular significance. Snails were a source of sustenance and food. They were also used as a hallucinogen during rituals. Conches were used as decorative pieces. Larger conches were used as a communication device during the hunt, due to their distinctive sound.
What is the Taino cemi?
A zemi or cemi was a deity or ancestral spirit, and a sculptural object housing the spirit, among the Taíno people of the Caribbean. They were also created by indigenous South Americans.
What does Taino mean in Spanish?
The name Taíno was given by Columbus. When he met some native men, they said "Taíno, Taíno", meaning "We are good, noble". Columbus thought that taíno was the name of the people. Rouse divides the Taínos into three main groups. One is the Classic Taíno, from Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
Who is the Taino god?
The Tainos believed in two main gods, Yucahu, who was the god of cassava (the main food crop of the Taino) and Atabey, the mother of Yucahu and the goddess of fertility. They also had many other deities, such as Guabancex, the goddess of hurricanes and Maketaori Guayaba, the god of the dead.
What does the spiral mean in Taino?
The spiral is a common symbol found in Taino art. It is a representation of cosmic energy and its unendingness. It is also representative of sweet water. The spiral is a symbol of both material and immaterial concepts and objects.
What does the Taino turtle symbolize?
Each Taino symbol is a representation of God or forces of nature, or a tale of everyday life. Turtles were considered the mother of fertility within the Taíno symbols, humanity and the origin of life.
Are all Puerto Rican Tainos?
According to a study funded by the National Science Foundation, 61 percent of all Puerto Ricans have American Indian mitochondrial DNA, probably from a common Taino ancestry.
Who did Tainos worship?
Taíno religion centered on the worship of zemís or cemís. Cemís were either gods, spirits, or ancestors. There were two supreme gods: Yúcahu, which means spirit of cassava, was the god of cassava (the Taínos main crop) and the sea and Atabey, mother of Yúcahu, was the goddess of fresh waters and fertility.
Does anyone speak Taíno?
Taíno is an extinct Arawakan language that was spoken by the Taíno people of the Caribbean. At the time of Spanish contact, it was the most common language throughout the Caribbean.
What did zemis represent?
Role of Zemis in Taino Society Zemis represented not the power of the person who owned them, but the allies the person could consult and venerate. In this way, zemis provided a contact for every Taino person with the spiritual world.
Baby
The Taíno’s carried their babies on their backs. Many images often had babies being carried with ropes tied around them.
Bird
Birds like cranes and herons were often given human characteristics, and they usually were interpreted as symbols of being masculine.
Cohoba
Cohoba was the main deity of the Taínos. The plate of his head was used in the ceremony to inhale hallucinogen in ceremonial rituals.
Eternal Lovers
The Taíno society did not believe in private property. Whatever was grown or killed was for the whole tribe. The scene in images may mean solidarity, equality, and fertility. Eternal lovers were figures of birds either beak-to-beak or in a possible love scenes.
Shamans
Shamans were witch doctors. They cured by using plants and herbs. They were considered as priests and led all rituals.
Conchs and Snails
The snail and conch played an integral role in the Taínos’ lives. They ate snails and also used them as a hallucinogen in rituals. They even used their conchs to adorn their bodies as beads. Large conchs were used for the sound that they made, as a communication device during hunting.
Turtle or Tortoise
Turtles were considered as the mother of fertility, mankind, and origin of life. Dimivan Caracaracol (Mother Earth) had developed a tumor; on the removal of the tumor, it turned out to be a live turtle.
2. Heart
The heart symbol is hands down the universal and best-known symbol for love. It is an ideograph in the shape of a heart, symbolizing romantic love.
3. Mongko
The mongko is the highest symbol of the Hopi spiritual power, serving as proof to those who own it that they have completed their century-long migration.
4. Cupid
The word “Cupid” is from the Latin Cupīdō, meaning “passionate desire.” Cupid is known as the personification of love or the Latin amor.
5. Eternal Lovers
The symbol of the eternal lovers is represented by a couple of zoomorphic figures – birds usually – sharing food beak-to-beak or in a possible love scene.
6. Swans
Swans are among the largest flying birds, reaching up to over 1.5 m. in length and weigh over 15 kg. They are cousins with geese and ducks.
7. Osram Ne Nsoromma
Osram Ne Nsoromma, a Bono Adinkra symbol of love and affection, is interpreted to literally mean “Moon and Star.” It is represented by a half moon with a star hanging within the circumference of the moon.
What is the Taino art?
Taino artwork richly unifies a wide variety of symbology from documented historical sites throughout the Caribbean.
What is the name of the cave where people came to populate the island?
Aboriginal that, according to mythology Taino, stand guard in a cave called cacibajagua; place where people came to populate the island. One day it took to reach his post and was turned into stone by the action of the sun.
What is a taino tattoo?
Taino tribal tattoos are inspired by the Puerto Rican culture. Taino culture is rich in bravery, artistic triumph (unique symbols) and innovations. The Taino Indians were native to the Caribbean Indians which consisted of Modern Day Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Jamaica. The aboriginals of these island countries were called Arawak People (named after their unique language Arawakan).
What does the Taino Coqui tattoo mean?
Taino Coqui Tattoo –. The Coqui translates to the frog species found in these islands. The coqui symbol showed a leaping frog on a circle. Its symbolic meaning was good health and long life. Along with the frog, the Taino tribe was also known to show other reptiles such as lizards, snakes, and even turtles.
Why did the Taino people die?
It was evident from the tribal body art of Taino people. The indigenous tribe sadly saw a sudden demise due to the Spanish inquisition (within 40 years of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the island). However, their legacy lived on as even today the Tribal Taino tattoos are popular globally.
What does the sun represent in a tattoo?
Sun was the most common Taino symbol which represented our planetary star as a god as a life-giver. The design included sun rays along with googly eyes and sometimes a smile.
Modern Interpretations
There are people today who desperately search, in books or the internet, for the true meaning of these rock-carvings not really knowing the history (or in this case, lack-of historical data) of the Tainos / Pre-Tainos. It is still unclear today of what these petroglyphs or symbols really mean.
How old are these symbols?
Ancient petroglyphs or symbols carved into rock by prehistoric peoples reveal how they envisioned the world around them. But estimating an exact age of most petroglyphs is difficult to determine.
What do they mean?
Whenever anyone views petroglyphs the unavoidable question comes up: What is the meaning of these symbols?
What instruments did the Taino use?
Many Taíno implements and techniques were copied directly by the Europeans, including the bohío (straw hut) and the hamaca (hammock), the musical instrument known as the maracas, and the method of making cassava bread . Many Taino words persist in the Puerto Rican vocabulary of today.
When did the Taino Indians arrive in Puerto Rico?
November 23, 2020. by Captain Tim. 06. Aug. Puerto Rico was inhabited by the Taino Indians long before Columbus arrived in 1493. They were primarily farmers and fisherman. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, the Taino population was decimated by famine, disease, and war within twenty years. Today, the Taino’s blood is part of the ...
Is Taino blood part of Puerto Rican heritage?
Today, the Taino’s blood is part of the Puerto Rican heritage and through research and archaeological digs, today there is a clearer idea of their culture and contributions to society.