The Behiques were one of the four social classes within the Taino society. These were priests, as well as witch doctors, shamans and healers. The Behique would have been the wisest character in the tribe who held key knowledge of all the plants and medicinal substances responsible for curing diseases and medical applications. They were also in charge of negotiating with the gods and were advocates for their tribe to these gods.
In the Cohoba ritual, the Behique would inhale the seeds of the cohobana tree, a hallucinogenic, using a Y-shaped pipe, to communicate with the deities. They revered cohoba for opening a direct portal to the ordinarily unseen ancestral realm.
The cohoba ritual began with a purging process, during which the Behique would induce vomiting. The Behique would then sniff the cohoba, which was sometimes mixed with tobacco or crushed seashells to enhance the hallucinogenic effects.
The experience of sniffing cohoba was an out-of-body experience through which the Behique would interact with the supernatural world. There, the Behique received prophetic visions and warnings, and consulted with ancestral beings on matters such as warfare, healing and harvesting. The knowledge acquired from their interactions with the spirits included the cause of illnesses and their cures. Upon their return they would
interpret their communications with the gods and ancestors to the rest of the tribe.
Shown: A zemi or cemi, meaning a sculptural object used by the Taino to house the spirit of a deity, ancestral spirit, or Behique and the Y-shaped pipe.
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