THE FOUR DIRECTIONS by Jorge Estevez
The Four Sacred Directions
Jorge Estevez
These excerpts are derived from the contributions by Jorge Estevez to the online post
Buyío Taimani—Agua Dulce Continuing Taino Traditions in the Dominic...
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Native Americans across the
hemisphere as well as other peoples
around the world observe ceremonies
utilizing the four sacred directions. In
the Dominican Republic, many
curanderos (healers) pray to the four
directions when planting food crops or
medicinal plants.
As a child, I remember my mother had a peculiar custom of tying together two sticks in the form of an X
with cotton forming a candlewick. She would then place the wick in a water-filled higuero
(gourd) or cup, with a tiny bit of oil. She would then light the wick, raise the gourd and pray to
the four directions. Supposedly this would help her locate a family member who was missing
and, in turn, would make the family member return home 23. Inhabitants of Maguana perform a
sunrise ceremony that also invokes the four sacred directions. Although it has some Catholic
overtones, its Indigenous elements are indeed quite discernable. Below, Don Juan de Mateo
and his wife (Liborista) arrive at a church located in lower Maguana. The church is rumored to
be the birth place of Saint John the Baptist.
Don Mateo and his wife arrive waving a flag
and singing Christian songs. His wife carries an
higuero (gourd) filled with corn flour, which
represents the sunrise. He then begins building
sacred geometrical designs that contain the four
directions; however, instead of one Four Direction
symbol, he creates seven. As he draws the design, his wife welcomes the morning sun.
Prayers for this ceremony are Catholic yet the Indigenous element is undeniable24.
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23 Picture of four directions candle prepared by Doña Luz Patria Estevez.
24 Photos from documentary special The Dominican Southwest parts 1-2-3, by Martha Ellen Davis, available at
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Voodoo priests also use geometric
patterns to build what they call “VeVe” or
“bei-bei.” Veve designs are said to have
arrived with Africans to the New World, in
particular with Africans from the Congo
region. Africans use four directions
symbols as well.
To ascertain as to whether the designs in Maguana are African or Taíno, I spoke with Dr.
Robert Farris Thompson of Yale University, who is a renowned expert of African cosmograms.
His reply to me, via email, was: “ Hi Jorge. A book on Taíno cosmograms must be written and
you are the man to do it.” This message coming from Mr. Thompson, was quite an honor for me. I admire his work immensely. But we needed further proof...
The answer came to us on May 4, 2014, when I traveled to Pomier, a town in San Cristobal Province, Dominican Republic. I was there with my wife Valerie to assist in the second
annual Pomier Taíno Festival. There are a series of 55 caves in Pomier, most of which are
covered with ancient Taíno petroglyphs and pictographs. Don José Corporán and his family are
caretakers of this national treasure. They are wonderful to work with and love these caves as if
they were alive. They report that people come from all over the island to offer tribute to the
cave spirits. Upon entering the second cave, I was astonished to find a four-directions symbol
28 | Bahío Taimaní—Jorge Estevez
on the wall of the cave identical to the one in the photos with Don Mateo. So not only are Don
Mateo designs four directional, but they are ancient and Taíno.
In addition, directly facing west of these symbols there are what appear to be sun
symbols. One of these apparently faces east, representing the rising sun, and another
represents the setting sun. It appears that the symbol was used not only to mark the sacred
directions, but also as a sunrise ceremony symbol, just as in Maguana.
Could Don Mateo have visited Pomier and copied this symbol? Perhaps, but then the
real question would be, how and why would he assume they are four-directional symbols and
use them in an elaborate ritual to “lift” the sun? No, Don Mateo is merely exercising a tradition
quite common in Maguana. After all, the four-directions symbol is common throughout the
island from Haiti to Higuey.
Another 4-directions symbol is to be found in Higüey Province in the Eastern side of the island
at a place called Piedra de Anamú (Anamú’s Stone) This flat stone is approximately 20 x 20 feet in
diameter and is covered in petroglyphs. The symbol below illustrates a unique four-directions symbol.
29 | Bahío Taimaní—Jorge Estevez
Each arrow on this symbol points to a cardinal point.
The four-directions symbol on right comes from a
Carib Indian community of Sambua Woyupore. It
appears identical to the one above from Anamuya.
This symbol, perhaps coincidently, is used in
Haitian Veve ( African cosmograms) as well. As stated
above, some researchers have suggested that Haitian
Veve originated in the Congo region of Africa. It may
well be that Africans incorporated this particular symbol into their own, since they are similar; perhaps a
religious iconographic reinforcement has taken place. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the
symbol at the Piedra de Anamú predates African arrival to the
island and has been in continuous use since ancient times.
On the left is an illustration of a Haitian Veve. It is used as a guiding
beacon for the Voodoo priests (Loa). This one represents Loa
Legbe
Example of four-directions medicine wheels. On left,
Mapuche Indian symbol from Argentina, South America.
On right, Lakota Indian version, South Dakota
30 | Bahío Taimaní—Jorge Estevez
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