• Found 1915 in a ceremonial cave in Cuba by archaeologist Mark Harrington.
• The cave, located in the eastern village Patana, is known to locals as "Cueva del Agua" (cave of the water) or "Cueva del Cemi" (The Deity’s Cave).
• Found on the stalagmites of the cave "by sheer luck".
• The idol had sat facing east towards the open ocean for 500 years until Harrington arranged for its violent removal and transportation to New York at the request of the collector George Gustav Heye.
• The head of the idol was severed from it base using a saw before shipping.
• The base itself was cut into five parts to enable easy handling and carriage.
• The carving holds a great amount of significance to the Taino people.
• Widely believed that the idol represents Boinayel the "bringer of rains".
• The carving became part of the collections of the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) in New York.
• In 2012 the museum director, Kevin Gover, received a request from the Cuban foundation for nature and humanity for its return to Cuba. Although the request didn't originate from the government the spiritual importance of the piece was at me forefront of the campaign.
• The idol remains in the custody of the NMAI with no immediate plans for its repatriation.
Links:
Comments