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| | Silver zemi replicas
These replicas of Taino artifacts are produced and sold by R&I PATTON with the stipulation that 100% of the sale price is a donation to the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park designated for the Cinnamon Bay Dig. Irene Patton, under the guidance of Ken Wild, archeologist with the National Park Service Caribbean Archeology program, made replicas of ceramic artifacts (zemis) found at the Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay sites. The terra cotta zemis were made by the Taino Indians who lived on St. John before Columbus. They represented spirits of ancestors, animals, birds and reptiles that served to convey special messages to the present and other world. They were attached to bowl rims and were broken after ceremonial use. The dig site at Cinnamon was started in June, 1998 and is open every day except Sunday and Monday. Volunteers are able to work along side professionals to discover this island history.This zemi found at Cinnamon Bay appears to be a frog face! We think the original Taino artisan must have found this image to be funny, funny! It brings smiles to a lot of faces around here.
Left to right zemis "Wild", "Helen" and "Bill"
image above for a larger view. | Pricing: Sterling chain chain included in price of sterling | | Zemi, Trunk Bay, "Wild", silver shown above | $48 | | Zemi, Trunk Bay, "Helen", silver shown above | $72 | | Zemi, Cinnamon Bay, "Bill", silver shown above | $65 | | Zemi, Cinnamon Bay, "frog face", silver shown above | $90 | Also available in bronze with waxed linen necklace (like ones at Friends Store) | | Zemi, Trunk Bay, "Wild", bronze | $28 | | Zemi, Trunk Bay, "Helen", bronze | $30 | | Zemi, Cinnamon Bay, "Bill", bronze | $30 | | Zemi, Cinnamon Bay, "frog face", bronze | $38 |
Remember that 100% of the above prices goes to Friends of the VI National Park exclusively to support the dig at Cinnamon Bay.Friend's Store Zemis available online at the Friends of the Virgin Island National Park Website. Send us an e-mail: | Chat | @pattongold.com | or call: (800) 626-3445 |
For more information about these sites and other archaeological resources, volunteer opportunities and tax deductible donations for archeological research contact the National Park Service Caribbean Archaeology program at (340) 693-5230 Visit the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park Web site: http://www.friendsvinp.org |