Zemis are cult objects in Taino society that represent deities worshipped by the Taino, including ancestors and the forces of nature. Produced in different forms and sizes in wood, clay, stone, shell and bone, zemis were kept in special shrines in Taino villages and used in ceremonies that included the taking of cohoba, a hallucinogenic snuff. Cohoba snuff, made from the seeds of a local tree, is one of the strongest indigenous American hallucinogens. Visions resulted which the Taino perceived as apparitions and messages of their gods and ancestors. The Tainos believed that a pair of zemis were responsible for the sunshine and rainfall. (MMA website)
