What were zemis in Antillean Arawak religious life?

In the religious life of the Taino—a division of the Arawak people—a zemi (or cemi) referred to both a supernatural spirit and the physical object believed to house that spirit. These objects were considered to possess magic potency and served as fetishes or idols.12

The Taino are particularly noted for their sophisticated zemi carvings, which were often crafted from stone, shell, or bone. These carvings frequently took human or zoomorphic forms, such as the distinctive small tripointed stones found throughout the Antilles, including Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The broader system of beliefs and practices surrounding these entities is known as zemiism. While many perishable wood carvings have been lost, the surviving stone works demonstrate the central role these objects played in the spiritual and cultural life of the region.23