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Trigonal CemÃ
The Development, Significance, and Ritual Life of a Caribbean Icon
Series: - The Early Americas: History and Culture, Volume: 15
Author:
The trigonal cemÃ, or âthree-pointerâ, is the most iconic yet enigmatic of pre-Columbian Caribbean artefacts. Archaeological and ethnographic evidence indicates that these conical sculptures were of uniquely Antillean origin and part of a dynamic, adaptable denomination within the greater cemà belief system of the region. This art historical study catalogues the varied forms of the trigonal cemà and traces their development across the 1,500-year-long lifespan of an animist ritual tradition centred on the deified island environment of the Antilles. Although this work acknowledges and engages with several popular theories of the trigonal cemÃâs significance, it presents evidence and analysis that establish the trigonal cemà as a living microcosm of the island, sacred topogram of âislandnessâ, and regional emblem of island identity.
Lawrence Waldron, Ph.D. (2010), is an assistant professor of art history at the Queens College campus of the City University of New York. He has published essays and monographs on the pre-Columbian art of the Caribbean, including Handbook of Ceramic Animal Symbols in the Ancient Lesser Antilles (2016) and Pre-Columbian Art of the Caribbean (2019).
This volume will be of particular interest to art historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, and students of these disciplines, but also to members of the TaÃno Movement and other indigenists.