"To the Taino, the Creator presided over the cosmos and other spirits were associated with rain, wind, the sea, human fertility and the successful growth of crops. At the beginning of time, these spirits blanketed the cosmos with invisible layers of geometric designs - symmetrical motifs that covered the face and bodies of people, communities, animals, the earth, the heavens, and the sea. These designs - the cosmic tissue of connectedness that united the universe - could be “seen” only by shamans during cohoba ceremonies. Illness, bad crops, and natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes were caused by destructive spirits that ripped holes in the geometric fabric of the world."

from Taino: Pre-Columbian Art and Culture from the Caribbean - El Museo del Barrio