The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of July 9, 2025
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.)
Gift of Brian and Florence Mahony 1995.244
Location: not on view
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.- {{cite web|title=Spatula|url=false|author=|year=900–1492|access-date=09 July 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.244