The stone hoop shown above is part of the Taino collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. The scholars at the museum maintain a three-point cemi tied to it to demonstrate how most experts believe the ancient Tainos used to attach the two objects to each other.
For decades scholars have hypothesized on the meaning and purpose of certain oval-shaped stone objects discovered at archaeological sites on the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico) and the island shared by the nations of Kiskeya and Ayiti (Dominican Republic/Haiti). As early as the first decades of the twentieth century prominent experts have suggested that one of the purposes for these enigmatic objects was to tie a stone cemi sculpture of the three-point variety to it with thin cords. This particular ritual use of the combining of stone hoop (stone collars) and three-point cemi sculptures has consistently been suggested by almost every researcher who has done any in-depth study of these objects. Most of these scholars agree that the fact that many of the most ornate three-point cemis are usually found in close proximity with stone hoops strongly indicate that these two objects were ritually used in combination with each other, and their shape and structure suggest that they were tied to each other.
The photo above was also taken at the National Museum of the American Indian about three years after the earlier photo. In this later picture the experts at the museum have switched the location of the three-point cemi that is attached to the stone hoop from its position inside the hoop to a new position outside,
One of the most extensive explanations of the possible significance of the attachment of three-point stone cemi sculptures to stone hoops has been presented in the publication by Jose R. Oliver called CACIQUES AND CEMI IDOLS: the Web Spun By Taino Rulers Between Hispaniola And Puerto Rico. University Of Alabama Press. 2009
This book makes extensive mention of the hypothetical Taino practice of tying a three-point stone cemi to a stone hoop. Oliver cites a number of scholars and mentions each hypothesis of why the objects were tied together. We in the Caney Circle recognize that these suggested ideas are based on extensive experience with Taino iconography and meticulous study of all possible ritual factors. Nevertheless, as the direct descendants and inheritors of Taino cultural legacy, we in the Caney Circle reserve the right to arrive at our own conclusions of the meaning and symbolism of this practice.
We in the Caney Circle have noticed the peculiar egg-shape or pear-shape outline of the so-called "slender variety" of the stone hoops. When observed from a certain perspective, the stone hoops present a shape that, to some extent, suggests the pear-shaped outline of a human uterus. If we combine this observation with all the evidence in known Taino spiritual tradition of a belief in a divine supreme mother divinity, it is logical to arrive at the conclusion that the stone hoops may have been a representation of the womb of the Taino Mother divinity known as Atabey.
There is a general consensus among both scholars and members of the Taino community that the male divinity known as Yokahu is closely associated with the traditional Taino food tuber plant known as yuca in the Caribbean and as "manioc" and "cassava" in other regions of the tropical Americas. The name "Yokahu" or "Yukahu" (yuca-hu) suggests a close linguistic identification between this divinity and the yuca plant. As a divinity who is identified with annually cultivated plants that must be killed and harvested every year it is also logical to conclude that the male divinity Yokahu must have been perceived as a mortal entity, who died in the fall every year at the beginning of the harvest season just as in the mythology of many other ancient agricultural societies around the world who identified a male plant-based divinity with a yearly life cycle. It is just as logical to conclude that this entity was perceived as being reborn in the Spring at the beginning of the rainy season when yuca and many other crops were planted and began to grow all over again. Most contemporary researchers agree that many of the three-point stone cemi sculptures are actually representations of Yokahu.
The Caney Circle understanding of Yokahu's annual cycle begins with the Spring Equinox in March, when the ancient Taino farmer began preparations for the planting activities of May. The men had been busy during the Winter dry season of January and February, cutting trees and bushes and burning the cleared wild vegetation in order to put a layer of fertilizing ash on the fields. By late May the rains intensified and everything had to be ready for planting. It took two months from March until May for the women to till the soil, construct the dirt mounds and prepare the ground for the planting activity of May. When the rains intensified in late May everything was ready and the planting activities could begin. Spring Equinox in March allowed the farmer to begin this two-month long soil preparation process on the fields that had been cleared by the men during the winter. Yokahu is born at Spring Equinox in March and grows in strength during the months of April and May as the life-giving days grow gradually longer and the nights grow gradually shorter. On Summer Solstice in June Yokahu reaches his maximum strength on the longest day of the year, the day of maximum sunlight. The Taino informants who shared information of Taino culture with the Spanish chronicler, Ramon Pane in 1493 told him that Yokahu lived in the sky. This is an obvious reference to the fact that the carbohydrate energy of the edible yuca root growing underground is derived from the solar energy that radiates down to the earth from the source of all energy in the sky, the sun. It is up to the chlorophyll-imbued green leaves of the yuca plant to carry out the magic of photosynthesis whereby solar energy can be converted into plant carbohydrate energy that fuels all life on Earth. That carbohydrate energy is stored in the starchy roots of the yuca, .
This LINK leads to a Youtube video about the two Taino Springtime ceremonies
At the beginning of the harvest season in September Autumn Equinox, the plants begin to give up their lives and die so that humans may eat and live, It begins with the early harvest such as maize and then continues into October, November, December and January with the late-season harvest of yuca. Yokahu dies at Autumn Equinox with the first harvested plants. His death begins the journey of his soul back to the underground location of the realm of Coaybay which is in the womb of Mother Earth, Atabey. In the underground watery region of this female divinity, who is the mistress of all the terrestrial water, Yokahu returns to the womb from which he emerged in the Spring. The journey from Death back to re-conception takes three months, from Autumn Equinox in September to Winter Solstice In December. At Winter Solstice we celebrate Yokahu's arrival at the womb of his divine mother and his attachment to that womb so that he can gestate from December to March, and then can be reborn in the Spring and begin the cycle all over again.
We believe that this was the actual purpose of the stone hoop. It's pear shape suggests the shape of Atabey's uterus. When the Taino behike ties the three-point cemi representing Yokahu to the oval-shaped stone hoop he or she is re-attaching the soul of Yokahu back in the womb of Atabey, where he will gestate until his rebirth in March.
When we celebrate the re-connecting of the soul of Yokahu with the womb of his mother Atabey, we are celebrating the power of Hope and Life to triumph over the power of Despair and Death. When Yokahu overcomes the trials of existence during Winter Solstice, and begins his three-month gestation period that will ultimately culminate in a new birth, we humans also are empowered to overcome our own life challenges so that we can emerge victorious.
Caney Circle tradition of the Stone Hoop ---- Tradicion del aro litico del Circulo Caney
by Miguel Sague Jr
Dec 31, 2025
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For decades scholars have hypothesized on the meaning and purpose of certain oval-shaped stone objects discovered at archaeological sites on the island of Boriken (Puerto Rico) and the island shared by the nations of Kiskeya and Ayiti (Dominican Republic/Haiti). As early as the first decades of the twentieth century prominent experts have suggested that one of the purposes for these enigmatic objects was to tie a stone cemi sculpture of the three-point variety to it with thin cords. This particular ritual use of the combining of stone hoop (stone collars) and three-point cemi sculptures has consistently been suggested by almost every researcher who has done any in-depth study of these objects. Most of these scholars agree that the fact that many of the most ornate three-point cemis are usually found in close proximity with stone hoops strongly indicate that these two objects were ritually used in combination with each other, and their shape and structure suggest that they were tied to each other.
The photo above was also taken at the National Museum of the American Indian about three years after the earlier photo. In this later picture the experts at the museum have switched the location of the three-point cemi that is attached to the stone hoop from its position inside the hoop to a new position outside,
One of the most extensive explanations of the possible significance of the attachment of three-point stone cemi sculptures to stone hoops has been presented in the publication by Jose R. Oliver called CACIQUES AND CEMI IDOLS: the Web Spun By Taino Rulers Between Hispaniola And Puerto Rico. University Of Alabama Press. 2009
This book makes extensive mention of the hypothetical Taino practice of tying a three-point stone cemi to a stone hoop. Oliver cites a number of scholars and mentions each hypothesis of why the objects were tied together. We in the Caney Circle recognize that these suggested ideas are based on extensive experience with Taino iconography and meticulous study of all possible ritual factors. Nevertheless, as the direct descendants and inheritors of Taino cultural legacy, we in the Caney Circle reserve the right to arrive at our own conclusions of the meaning and symbolism of this practice.
We in the Caney Circle have noticed the peculiar egg-shape or pear-shape outline of the so-called "slender variety" of the stone hoops. When observed from a certain perspective, the stone hoops present a shape that, to some extent, suggests the pear-shaped outline of a human uterus. If we combine this observation with all the evidence in known Taino spiritual tradition of a belief in a divine supreme mother divinity, it is logical to arrive at the conclusion that the stone hoops may have been a representation of the womb of the Taino Mother divinity known as Atabey.
There is a general consensus among both scholars and members of the Taino community that the male divinity known as Yokahu is closely associated with the traditional Taino food tuber plant known as yuca in the Caribbean and as "manioc" and "cassava" in other regions of the tropical Americas. The name "Yokahu" or "Yukahu" (yuca-hu) suggests a close linguistic identification between this divinity and the yuca plant. As a divinity who is identified with annually cultivated plants that must be killed and harvested every year it is also logical to conclude that the male divinity Yokahu must have been perceived as a mortal entity, who died in the fall every year at the beginning of the harvest season just as in the mythology of many other ancient agricultural societies around the world who identified a male plant-based divinity with a yearly life cycle. It is just as logical to conclude that this entity was perceived as being reborn in the Spring at the beginning of the rainy season when yuca and many other crops were planted and began to grow all over again. Most contemporary researchers agree that many of the three-point stone cemi sculptures are actually representations of Yokahu.
The Caney Circle understanding of Yokahu's annual cycle begins with the Spring Equinox in March, when the ancient Taino farmer began preparations for the planting activities of May. The men had been busy during the Winter dry season of January and February, cutting trees and bushes and burning the cleared wild vegetation in order to put a layer of fertilizing ash on the fields. By late May the rains intensified and everything had to be ready for planting. It took two months from March until May for the women to till the soil, construct the dirt mounds and prepare the ground for the planting activity of May. When the rains intensified in late May everything was ready and the planting activities could begin. Spring Equinox in March allowed the farmer to begin this two-month long soil preparation process on the fields that had been cleared by the men during the winter. Yokahu is born at Spring Equinox in March and grows in strength during the months of April and May as the life-giving days grow gradually longer and the nights grow gradually shorter. On Summer Solstice in June Yokahu reaches his maximum strength on the longest day of the year, the day of maximum sunlight. The Taino informants who shared information of Taino culture with the Spanish chronicler, Ramon Pane in 1493 told him that Yokahu lived in the sky. This is an obvious reference to the fact that the carbohydrate energy of the edible yuca root growing underground is derived from the solar energy that radiates down to the earth from the source of all energy in the sky, the sun. It is up to the chlorophyll-imbued green leaves of the yuca plant to carry out the magic of photosynthesis whereby solar energy can be converted into plant carbohydrate energy that fuels all life on Earth. That carbohydrate energy is stored in the starchy roots of the yuca, .
This LINK leads to a Youtube video about the two Taino Springtime ceremonies
At the beginning of the harvest season in September Autumn Equinox, the plants begin to give up their lives and die so that humans may eat and live, It begins with the early harvest such as maize and then continues into October, November, December and January with the late-season harvest of yuca. Yokahu dies at Autumn Equinox with the first harvested plants. His death begins the journey of his soul back to the underground location of the realm of Coaybay which is in the womb of Mother Earth, Atabey. In the underground watery region of this female divinity, who is the mistress of all the terrestrial water, Yokahu returns to the womb from which he emerged in the Spring. The journey from Death back to re-conception takes three months, from Autumn Equinox in September to Winter Solstice In December. At Winter Solstice we celebrate Yokahu's arrival at the womb of his divine mother and his attachment to that womb so that he can gestate from December to March, and then can be reborn in the Spring and begin the cycle all over again.
We believe that this was the actual purpose of the stone hoop. It's pear shape suggests the shape of Atabey's uterus. When the Taino behike ties the three-point cemi representing Yokahu to the oval-shaped stone hoop he or she is re-attaching the soul of Yokahu back in the womb of Atabey, where he will gestate until his rebirth in March.
When we celebrate the re-connecting of the soul of Yokahu with the womb of his mother Atabey, we are celebrating the power of Hope and Life to triumph over the power of Despair and Death. When Yokahu overcomes the trials of existence during Winter Solstice, and begins his three-month gestation period that will ultimately culminate in a new birth, we humans also are empowered to overcome our own life challenges so that we can emerge victorious.
Caney Circle theory of the symbolic connections between the Taino coa digging sticks and the stone collars