Semí is Taíno

Did You Know: In Taíno culture, a semí (cemi, zemi) is a deity, an ancestral spirit, or a spiritual manifestation representing a specific aspect of or an element of nature. Pronounced seh-mee, the word can also refer to a sacred physical icon that represents a spirit or deity, which traditionally can be presented in wood, bone, shell, clay, cotton, beadwork, or stone. Some academics have promoted the word as 'zemi,' however; this is a corrupted version of the Taíno word based on the imposition of the Spanish language. In the related Lokono Arawak language the word “semee” is associated to the concept of sweetness while “semechichi” refers to a community healer. Similar versions of the word/concept semí also appear in other neighboring and related languages. In the eyeri/igneri/ieri language, for instance, the equivalent word is 'chemín' while in the insular carib or Kalinago language we find 'chemíjn,' sometimes written as 'semígn.' – UCTP Taino News © 2014

Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center

Did You Know -  The Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial Center (Centro Ceremonial Indígena de Tibes) is currently considered by archeologists to be the oldest indigenous ceremony center in Boriken (Puerto Rico).  It represents a continuous habitation of indigenous peoples more than 1,000 years before Columbus encountered the New World. Within its designated 40 acres of this park owned by the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, one of the largest burial grounds was also “discovered”. Arql. Luis Á. Rodríguez Gracia cites the earliest inhabitants as Igneri with preceding populations as “pre-Taino” and finally Taíno.   The site consists of “nine ball courts and three ceremonial plazas” as well as a Museum, garden, and several “recreated pre-Columbian homes”. Rodríguez Gracia believes it to be the oldest astronomical observatory in the Antilles. – UCTP Taino News © 2012

The Caribbean

Did You Know: The word “Caribbean” is said to be derived from the name of one of the dominant indigenous (Amerindian) groups in the region at the time of European contact during the late 15th century, the Caribs. While their continues to be debate among scholars as to the origin of the word, at least one of the communities currently identified as "Carib" call themselves Kalinago. The island of Boriken (Puerto Rico) itself was also identified as Carib in some old maps. Some of the other Indigenous Nations identified in the region are Arawak, Ciboney, Galibi, Garifuna, Igneri, Lucayan, and the Taino. - - UCTP Taino News © 2009