Keywords
decolonization; Taíno; cemí; Indigenous; Zemidujo; digital media
Abstract
My research explores the evolution and continuity of Taíno spirituality culture across five centuries through artifact analysis and digital archives. While Spanish imperialism in the 15th century devastated Taíno populations and traditional craft production, I find that Taíno spirituality was not eradicated but rather adapted its mode of expression. The shift in medium from primarily pre- and peri- physical cemí artifacts (carved from wood and stone) to contemporary digital representations (online archives, blog posts, YouTube videos) illustrates two things: a) strategic integration of Taíno technological use to preserve spiritual practices while reestablishing cultural connectivity through education, community, and resistance movements, and b) a disproportionate display of institutional vs Taíno-created digital artifacts. Taken together, these artifacts demonstrate the extancy of Taíno-descent communities / Taíno identities and foreground Taíno understandings of sovereignty as a state of mind. This research contributes to deconstructing the myth of Taíno extinction and advances efforts to decolonize anthropological research.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Rachael Root
College
College of Sciences
Department
Department of Anthropology
Thesis Discipline
Anthropology
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Richardson, Jordan G., "Listening To The Cemí: An Exploration Of Taíno Spirituality Culture Through Artifact Analysis And Digital Archives" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 511.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/511
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