Spatula

900–1492
Diameter: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.); Overall: 19.1 x 3.2 x 11 cm (7 1/2 x 1 1/4 x 4 5/16 in.)
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Location: not on view

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Description

In 1492, when Christopher Columbus sailed into the Caribbean, the islands of Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Jamaica and Puerto Rico were inhabited by the Taino people. Taino religious ceremonies often included the snuffing of hallucinogenic herbs to alter the consciousness and facilitate contact with the spirit world. Carved spatulas were used to blend the powdered herbs. After purifying the body through purging the stomach, the snuff was inhaled into both nostrils.
Spatula

Spatula

900–1492

Caribbean, Greater Antilles, Taino, 10th-15th century

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