Pre-Columbian, Caribbean Islands, Taino people, ca. 1000 to 1500 CE. A fascinating ceremonial stone pestle with a zoomorphic handle that resembles both a frog and an anthropomorphic visage. The tool's body is skillfully hand-carved with a large, flat grinding head, a steep carinated body, a thick neck, and the stylized handle. The sizable, sunken eyes are reminiscent of the skull, while the rest of the face is comprised of high cheekbones, a broad nose, and a huge smile. This pestle may have been used to create Cohoba powder that is traditionally inhaled by a shaman to produce hallucinogenic effects and visions during a ritual that the Taino interpret as apparitions of spirits who deliver important messages. This function is further enhanced by the drug-induced appearance of the visage on the handle. Size: 4.9" L x 4.3" W x 4" H (12.4 cm x 10.9 cm x 10.2 cm)

Taino spirituality revolved around ancestor and spirit worship via carved stone figures called "zemis" that embodied the spirits and deity figures the Taino venerated. In Taino culture death was considered a transitory period; the boundaries between life and death seem to have felt more porous to the Taino than they do to us today. Owls, as nocturnal hunters, represented the underworld and thought to carry opias (hupias) - the spirits of the recently deceased - to the next stage of existence and these bird's hoots and screeches were omens believed to announce impending death or the arrival of spirits from the beyond. Shamans communicated with owls during rituals to coax the opias of the seriously ill or recently deceased, back to their bodies.

Provenance: private Rochester, Michigan, USA collection; ex-Miami Beach Antique Show

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#182657

Old chipping as well as nicks and abrasions as shown. Otherwise, intact and very nice with great signs of use on pounding surface. Light earthen deposits throughout.