VII. A Taino Sun

Such a simple little carving, not sure I would even want to include it in the list of my little sculptures because it was so easy to do. So, what is it? It is a symbolic representation of the sun used by the Taino Indians- the indigenous people of the Caribbean before Columbus arrived, today’s decedents who are Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Dominicans, and other Caribbean nations. There are a number of known symbols that the Taino used for the sun, but this one caught my eye. It is a simple hieroglyph used by those people to represent what was important to them in their lives and their culture. It was a fascinating culture that Columbus stumbled into. And almost completely and unapologetically wiped out. I made this out of Silverdale limestone, which I love for it’s straw-like color that yellows more deeply with time. Silverdale is softer than “traditional” limestone, but if you’ll look closely you will see fragmentation of shells and other minerals that make it up as the silt settled in at the ocean bottom- some much harder than the ochre colored stone and can be a bit of a bitch to file smoothly! But it is worth it in the end. So enjoy this simple piece of work, and pause a second to think about the countless Tainos to whom it was important, who were lost in the conquest for gold in the new world. I’ll give ity a 4 out of 5, just because.