Caciques and Cemi Idols

Download or read book Caciques and Cemi Idols written by José R. Oliver and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2009-05-10 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cemís are both portable artifacts and embodiments of persons or spirit, which the Taínos and other natives of the Greater Antilles (ca. AD 1000-1550) regarded as numinous beings with supernatural or magic powers. This volume takes a close look at the relationship between humans and other (non-human) beings that are imbued with cemí power, specifically within the Taíno inter-island cultural sphere encompassing Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The relationships address the important questions of identity and personhood of the cemí icons and their human "owners" and the implications of cemí g ...