

































Afro-Caribbean and Indigenous Religions as subject in Caribbean 

Rachelle Sanicharan
University of Toronto
FAS [Canadian Studies Specialist]

Historically, the presence of religion in art is one 
that is very common and well documented. Like 
all art, the images and various projects produced, 
they all are up to the viewers interpretation, with 
underlining messages throughout. Religion being 
such a major influence in many different cultures, 
it isn’t surprising that there is such a connection 
to art and religion. This is true when looking at 
the art produced in the Caribbean or about the 
Caribbean, and also by the art produced by 
Caribbean artists. This research seeks to demon-
strate some of the various Caribbean visual arts 
that have been produced and the portrayal or 
influence of religion presented, ranging from 
pre-colonization to post-colonization visual art 
projects. In turn, this will present the influence 
that religion has had in the Caribbean and how 
this has affected Caribbean communities, whilst 
also highlighting the lack of representation of 
some common religions that are present in the 
Caribbean today.

A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Caribbean Visual Art, 
Caribbean Religions

B I O

Rachelle is a fourth-year student as a Canadian Studies Specialist at St. Michael’s College 
University of Toronto. She is an Indo-Guyanese Canadian woman who has a particular interest in 
researching, recording, and preserving her Indo-Caribbean culture by constantly engaging with 
Caribbean communities, especially through the non-profit organization that she volunteers with 
called, Brown Gyal Diary. Brown Gyal Diary’s mission is to create a space primarily for 
Indo-Caribbean women to share their experiences and histories to create recognition and to 
preserve our culture. Her inspiration towards engaging in Caribbean based work, is mostly linked 
to her love for family.

© 2021 Rachelle Sanicharan
Caribbean Studies Students’ Union, Canada - https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cquilt/

                       This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 
                       To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

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    Bosman, Frank G. “When Art is Religion and Vice Versa. Six Perspectives on the relationship between Art and Religion.
          ” The Theological Journal of Emanuel University, vol. 18 no. 3, 2020, p. 3-20: Sciendo, doi:10.2478/perc-2020-0013.
    Maestri, Nicoletta. “A Columbian Discovery: 2,000 Year Old Zemi Artifacts of the Caribbean.” ThoughtCo, 
            23 Oct. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/zemis-ritual-objects-of-ancient-taino-173257.
    Roe, Peter G. “Walking Upside-Down and Backwards: Art and Religion In The Ancient  Caribbean.” The Oxford
             Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual and Religion, 2011. Oxford University Press, 
             doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199232444.013.0034
    Mastri, Nicoletta.
    Roe, Peter G.  
       
 

.

       

 

1

Historically, the presence of religion in art 
is one that is very common and well 
documented. Like all art, the images and 
various projects produced, they all are up 
to the viewers interpretation, with under-
lining messages throughout. Religion 
being such a major influence in many 
different cultures, it isn’t surprising that 
there is such a connection to art and 
religion.  This is true when looking at the 
art produced in the Caribbean or about the 
Caribbean, and also by the art produced by 
Caribbean artists. The Caribbean has an 
intensive and tragic history due to colo-
nialism that include and is not limited to 
the mistreatment of Indigenous popula-
tions like the Ciboney, Arawak, and Carib 
peoples throughout the Caribbean, the 
African Slave Trade, as well as Indian and 
Chinese Indentureship. Moreover, Europe-
an powers like the British, the Spanish, the 
French, the Dutch, and the Portuguese, all 
played a part in the Caribbean’s complex 
history. Due to the influence of these 
colonial powers, the history, culture, 
rituals and spiritual beliefs of Indigenous 
communities, as well as peoples that were 
brought to the Caribbean through slavery 
and indentureship, there is a wide range of 
religious practices and beliefs that are 
practiced in the Caribbean. Some of these 
religious practices are the subject of 
Caribbean visual art. This research seeks 
to demonstrate some of the various 
Caribbean visual arts that have been 

produced and the portrayal or influence of 
religion presented, ranging from pre-colo-
nization to post-colonization visual art 
projects. In turn, this will present the 
influence that religion has had in the 
Caribbean and how this has affected 
Caribbean communities, whilst also 
highlighting the lack of representation of 
some common religions that are present in 
the Caribbean today. I will not be discuss-
ing the multitude of religions that were 
practiced throughout the history of the 
Caribbean but I will be discussing the 
religions that are commonly referenced as 
being Caribbean religions, as well as 
religions that are most practiced in the 
Caribbean today.

One religious practice that was present in 
the Caribbean before colonialism, was the 
use of Zemís. Zemís are considered sacred 
symbols that were sometimes physical 
objects like the “Taíno Cotton Reliquary 
(Zemí)”, which reflects a human effigy in 
embroidered cotton, but other Zemís were 
also made with different types of wood 
that was carved to create animal and/or 
human resemblance.  Zemís are very 
closely linked to the worship of one’s 
ancestors.  Having detailed Zemís signi-
fied one’s close relation to the supernatural 
world. Some Zemís were said to have had 
supernatural powers that included making 
it rain, making things grow and the Zemí 
even speaking to its owner.  

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     Mastri, Nicoletta.
     Paton, Diana. The Cultural Politics of Obeah: Religion, Colonialism and Modernity in the Caribbean World, 
            Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2015.
     See note 7 above.
     MOCRA, et al. “Episode 7: Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons.” Saint Louis University, Nov. 2013, 
            www.slu.edu/mocra/voices-podcast/episode-7-maria-magdalenacampos.pons.php.
     See note 9 above.
     See note 9 above.
     See note 9 above.

           

 

6

Religious practices using Zemís were 
found across the Greater Antilles, with 
significant findings in Dominican Repub-
lic, Haiti and Cuba.  Since these Zemís 
could be found in many countries in the 
Caribbean, they are well documented and 
are considered art pieces, some being 
preserved and displayed in museums. The 
spiritual practice with Zemís’ is something 
that is notably recognized as a Caribbean 
religion.

As colonization occurred, the development 
of other religious practices became 
common in the Caribbean. One of the 
religions that is known for its relationship 
and connection with the Caribbean, is 
Obeah and relatives; Vodou, Palo and 
Santería which are derivatives of African 
spirituality and variations arguably due to 
the nature of colonialism. These practices 
are similar to each other and they have 
been closely linked with sorcery and even 
dark magic   There are many different 
variants of the practice of Obeah, and so 
the religion has both a positive and 
negative reputation and it is still apparent 
in the Caribbean today. Obeah’s portrayal 
as witchcraft however, is one way that 
Europeans furthered the ‘othering’ of 
Afro-Caribbean communities who often 
practiced Obeah for healing and divinity.
The practice of Obeah and its relatives is 
shown in Caribbean visual art and it 
demonstrates the progression of European 

influence in the Caribbean. African 
spirituality has left an indelible mark of 
Caribbean religiosity. Derivatives of these 
belief systems such as Obeah, Vodou, Palo 
and Santería all have a basis in magic 
witchcraft and sorcery. For Europeans 
however, the connection to ‘dark magic’ 
played an important role in the othering of 
Afro-Caribbean communities who often 
practiced these religions as a source of 
healing and divinity. Europeans feared 
these systems because it made assimilation 
less likely. 

Santería is an Afro-Cuban religion that is 
generally related to work with magic, 
witchcraft and sorcery, similarly to Obeah. 
In Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons work, 
she presents a prominent figure in Santería 
religion; Abridor de Caminos (The one 
who opens the path). Abridor de Caminos 
is closely related to Elegua, the most 
important orisha or deity in Santería.  
Elegua was the first orisha, a messenger 
between the divine world and human 
world, effectively the leader of the cross-
roads, and thus, nothing could be done in 
the worlds without Elegua’s permission. 
Elegua is considered to be a trickster and 
is the force behind growth and divinity, 
she is represented by red, white and black, 
which are the same colours that are 
depicted in Campos-Pons work, Abridor 
de Caminos.  In this work, she presents 
symbols of being at a crossroad, whether 

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     See note 9 above.
     Davis, Andrea. Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies / Revue Canadienne Des Études Latino 
            Américaines Et Caraïbes, vol. 31, no. 61, 2006, pp. 261–263. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41800310.
     See note 9 above.
     See note 14 above.
     Benítez, Virginia Alberdi. “WHERE IS THE STARTING POINT OF CUBAN ART?” ArteMorfosis, 14 Nov. 2016, 
            www.artemorfosis.com/where-is-the-starting-point-of-cuban-art/.
     See note 17 above. 

           

 

13

that is a literal cross spanning her face or 
her feet being separated and pointed in 
different directions between what appears 
to be white twig pieces.  Interestingly, the 
colours that represent this orisha, are 
colours that many people associate with 
the devil or with evil, and having the 
orisha being the owner of the crossroads, 
where there is mythology of crossroad 
dealers being demons or evil.   This is yet 
another way that religions such as Santería 
and Obeah are darkly portrayed. Obeah is 
not an organized religion like some of its 
western counterparts, but it is a result of 
the African diaspora in the Caribbean, it is 
a creolized religion that has European and 
African influence. Similarly, Santería is 
also a direct result to enslaved Africans 
whom were brought from Nigeria and 
Western African nations, that mixed their 
Yoruba religion with elements of Roman 
Catholic influence from plantation owners.
Arguably, Santería contains elements of 
European, African, and Indian spiritual 
practices.   The religion’s presence in the 
Caribbean was also a way to demonstrate 
the difference between Europe and the 
Caribbean. Overall, religions such as 
Obeah and Santería are creolized practices 
that occurred due to colonization in order 
to create even more of a divide between 
Afro-Caribbean peoples and Europeans, 
something that is still apparent throughout 
the Caribbean today. The influence of this 
subjugation and forced integration may be

seen through art pieces which progressive-
ly show increasing European influence in 
religious practices throughout the Caribbe-
an.

Through colonialism religions such as 
Christianity were brought to the Caribbe-
an. Though we see some factors of Christi-
anity that was referenced in African 
diaspora religions, in some instances 
Christianity has demonstrated influence on 
Caribbean art directly without being 
combined with other practices. For 
example, in José Nicolás de Escalera’s 
work, Santa Bárbara, we are shown that 
Christianity has become a part of the 
people who inhabit the Caribbean.  This 
painting not only showcased artistic 
techniques from Europe, but it also depicts 
St. Barbara, a Christian saint whom was a 
martyr and is sometimes connected to 
lightning, seeing as after her father killed 
her for being a Christian when he was a 
Pagan, he was struck by deadly lightning 
as he arrived home.   St. Barbara is 
referenced in the Catholic Church, the 
Eastern Orthodox Church and other 
Christian denominations. She is also 
referred to as one of the fourteen Holy 
Helpers. In José Nicolás de Escalera’s 
work, St. Barbara is pictured with a palm 
leaf that many times is pictured with virgin 
martyrs. Most of José Nicolás de Escal-
era’s work was religious based or it was 
portraits of colonialist. His work shows 

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     See note 17 above.
     Scher, Philip W. “Race and Religion in the Caribbean.” Anthropological Quarterly, vol. 77 no.4, 2004, p. 831 -834: 
            Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/anq.2004.0065 .
      

           

 

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the influence that Europeans had in the 
Caribbean, the art techniques that were 
labelled European, the presence of Euro-
pean religion and the paintings of Saints, 
shows how Christianity began to spread in 
the Caribbean.  Today, the presence of 
Christianity is shown throughout Caribbe-
an countries, being the most popular 
religion in the Caribbean.

Though many art pieces have been created 
that present the history of religious 
practices in the Caribbean, there are in fact 
some religions that aren’t as commonly 
acknowledged in visual art, as being part 
of Caribbean history. The visual art that 
has been discussed thus far mostly speaks 
of the influence that colonialism has had 
on Afro-Caribbean religious practices, but 
I have not mentioned any popular 
Indo-Caribbean visual art pieces. Though 
the history of Indian indentureship isn’t as 
long as the history of the African Slave 
Trade, Indian people first arrived in the 
Caribbean, British Guiana in 1838, 
arriving at what is now called, Guyana. 
Indians were brought to the Caribbean 
after the abolition of slavery, effectively 
replacing slavery with indentured labour-
ers who had contracts. Interestingly, many 
visual art pieces were created after the 
arrival of Indians in the Caribbean, yet 
their presence isn’t as reflected in visual 
art as Afro-Caribbean peoples and so, the 
religions that many Indo-Caribbean 
peoples practiced aren’t often shown in art 
either. Seeing as though the history of 
Indo-Caribbean peoples goes back over 
180 years, this part of colonialist history 
isn’t very reflective in Caribbean art. The 
most popular religions that Indo-Caribbe-

Caribbean peoples’ practice that is not 
often represented in art is Hinduism and 
Islam.  This is shown especially in differ-
ent countries in the community like in 
Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, were 
the religious practices of Indo-Caribbean 
peoples are also celebrated by Afro-Carib-
bean peoples who do not identify with 
these religions and vice versa. For exam-
ple, in Guyana, both Indo-Guyanese 
peoples who are and are not Hindu, and 
Afro-Guyanese peoples whom are not 
Hindu, celebrate the Hindu festival, 
Pagwah also known as Holi. Moreover, 
Indo-Guyanese people who are not 
Christian, still celebrate Easter by flying 
kites. Both Pagwah and Easter are 
celebrated by the whole population of 
Trinidad and Tobago no matter what 
religion you identify with. Through these 
religious holidays, it brings unity to 
countries who have historically been 
divided by their race and religions, 
demonstrating how religion does positive-
ly affect Caribbean communities.

Though Caribbean art is reflective of some 
religious practices in the Caribbean, there 
is still a lack of popular recognition for 
certain religions that are a part of the 
Caribbean. None of the less, Indigenous 
religions are still present in Caribbean 
visual art and the impact of colonialism in 
the Caribbean is reflected in these visual 
art pieces as we see the influence that 
European practices began to have in the 
Caribbean. Creole religious practices like 
Obeah and Santería show primarily the 
combination of European and African 
spiritual practices. As colonialism contin-

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continued, we see the influence that 
Christianity has also had in the Caribbean 
and that is also reflected in Caribbean. 
Through these pieces of art, we are shown 
the various stories of displacement, 
creolization, belonging, and tradition. We 
are shown a snippet of the complex and 
long history of the Caribbean and the 
various religions that are/were practiced. 
In turn, this depicts the different communi-
ties that are in the Caribbean and the 
different ethnicities, races, and cultures 
that are followed. The Caribbean is very 
multicultural and that is reflected through 
the art and religions throughout the region.  

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121

Benítez, Virginia Alberdi. “WHERE IS THE STARTING POINT OF CUBAN ART?” 
         ArteMorfosis, 14 Nov. 2016, www.artemorfosis.com/where-is-the-starting-point-
         of-cuban-art/.
Bosman, Frank G. “When Art is Religion and Vice Versa. Six Perspectives on the 
         Relationship between Art and Religion.” The Theological Journal of Emanuel 
         University, vol. 18 no. 3, 2020, p. 3-20: Sciendo, doi:10.2478/perc-2020-0013
Campos Pons, Maria M. Abridor de Caminos (Road Opener), 1997, Web, Cuba.
Cotton reliquary (Zemi), Taino, n.d., Web, Dominican Rep. 
Davis, Andrea. Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies / Revue 
          Canadienne Des Études Latino-Américaines Et Caraïbes, vol. 31, no. 61, 
          2006, pp. 261–263. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41800310. 
De Barros, Juanita. Review of Obeah and Other Powers: The politics of Caribbean 
          religion and healing ed. By Diana Paton, Maarit Forde. Journal Colonialism and 
         Colonial History, vol. 14 no. 3, 2013. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/cch.2013.0048
De Escalera, José Nicolás. Santa Bárbara, 2nd half XVIII c (2), Web, Cuba. 
“Jose Nicolas De La Escalera (1734-1804).” Jose Nicolas De La Escalera | Art Experts, 
          www.artexpertswebsite.com/pages/de-la-escalera.php. 
Maestri, Nicoletta. “A Columbian Discovery: 2,000 Year Old Zemi Artifacts of the 
          Caribbean.” ThoughtCo, 23 Oct. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/zemis-ritual-objects-
          of ancient-taino-173257. 
MOCRA, et al. “Episode 7: Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons.” Saint Louis University, Nov. 
          2013, www.slu.edu/mocra/voices-podcast/episode-7-maria-magdalenacampos 
          pons.php. 
Paton, Diana. The Cultural Politics of Obeah: Religion, Colonialism and Modernity in the
          Caribbean World, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2015.
Roe, Peter G. “Walking Upside-Down and Backwards: Art and Religion In The Ancient 
           Caribbean.” The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of Ritual and Religion, 2011. 
           Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199232444.013.0034 
Scher, Philip W. “Race and Religion in the Caribbean.” Anthropological Quarterly, vol. 
           77 no.4, 2004, p. 831-834: Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/anq.2004.0065 
Traverso, V.M. “How to Recognize the Symbols of Martyrdom in Art.” Aleteia, 16 Oct. 
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