Whilst perusing Taino: Taino: Precolumbian Art and Culture from the Caribbean again, we noticed that one of the amulets photographed for the book bears an uncanny resemblance to an amulet or cemi figure from Haiti. The amulet is currently housed in a museum in Puerto Rico, but it would be interesting to know if it possibly was brought to that island from Haiti, possibly by French or white Creoles leaving Hispaniola after the Haitian Revolution. Indeed, Nicolson's Essai sur l'histoire naturelle de Saint-Domingue. Avec figures en taille-douce includes a drawing of a figure found in the Cul de Sac plain which bears an uncanny resemblance to the amulet. The position of the arms and legs are quite similar while the right ear appears damaged in both objects. The 18th century sketch shows a more distinct nose and a few other features, but that may be due to the artist's drawing being less accurate. Lastly, the appearance of human faces on the shoulders of the object in the sketch may be seen in the Puerto Rico amulet (though less visible in this photo, making it difficult to confirm). Assuming the piece at the museum in Rio Piedras is not from Haiti or Hispaniola, the amulet must have had some specific meaning whose symbolism was recognized in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. Presumably, it had some sort of ritual or religious significance represented by the kneeling position of the legs.
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