Posted 8 years ago
AuntieM
(50 items)
I just found these carvings at the local Goodwill.
I thought they were very intriguing, all I know about them is from a label on one of them Taino Indians of Dominic Republic, the 2 taller ones are 14" and the other one is 10". if anyone out there can share any info, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
The shorter one, with the round head, is African, an akuaba, a traditional fertility doll made by the Ashanti people of Ghana.
Which piece was identified as "Taino"? There are some people in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic who self-identify as "Taino," but DNA analysis has disproved that. The Taino Indians were virtually eliminated as a culture by the Spanish. Some people may still have traces of indigenous DNA, but the majority of their heritage is a blend of Spanish, indigenous Indian, and African DNA.
It's a controversial issue, actually, with many believing that an individual can self-identify as a person of any ethnicity, and continue that culture, no matter what % of actual DNA supports that claim.
But, unlike in the case of Native American Indian tribes in, for example, the Southwest U.S. (who have had a continued culture and tribal identity that can be documented back to the arrival of the Spanish), there is no government-recognized Taino tribe today.
Wow.....Thank You for the information! The darker colored one was the one identified as "Taino".