Behique

A Behique was the spiritual leader, healer, shaman, and keeper of sacred knowledge in Taíno society throughout islands like Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.

The Behique was more than a “priest.” They combined roles similar to:

• doctor

• herbal healer

• spiritual mediator

• astronomer

• historian

• interpreter of dreams and omens

Core Role of the Behique

The Behique communicated with the cemíes (zemis) — sacred spirits or ancestral beings represented through carved objects, stones, caves, cotton figures, or idols.

They were believed to:

• heal illness

• remove harmful spirits

• guide chiefs (caciques)

• oversee ceremonies

• interpret visions

• protect community balance

Cohoba Ceremony

One of the most sacred rituals led by the Behique was the cohoba ceremony. During this ritual:

• cohoba powder (made from seeds of Anadenanthera peregrina) was inhaled through carved tubes

• the Behique entered an altered spiritual state

• visions were interpreted as messages from ancestors or spirits

• caciques often participated before important decisions, war, diplomacy, or ceremonies

Archaeologists have found:

• cohoba inhalers

• ceremonial seats called duhos

• vomiting spatulas used for ritual purification

• carved cemí figures

across Taíno cave systems and ceremonial sites in the Caribbean.

Behique and Healing - Behique healing mixed:

• herbal medicine

• massage

• chants

• tobacco smoke

• fasting

• purification rituals

• spiritual diagnosis

Illness was often seen as both physical and spiritual imbalance.

Connection to Caves

Many sacred caves in the Caribbean were linked to Behique rituals because caves were viewed as portals to:

• ancestors

• creation spirits

• the underworld

• birth origins of humanity

This connects deeply to places like:

• Pomier Caves

• Cueva Ventana

where petroglyphs, pictographs, and ceremonial activity have been documented.

Relationship with the Cacique

The Behique advised the cacique (chief).

In many communities:

• the cacique held political power

• the Behique held spiritual power

Together they maintained social and cosmic order.

Some Spanish chroniclers feared Behique influence because they saw them as capable of mobilizing resistance and preserving Indigenous identity after colonization.

Deeper Perspective

The Behique was part of a wider Indigenous Caribbean spiritual tradition connected to:

• ancestor reverence

• sacred geography

• astronomy

• altered consciousness

• oral memory

• cave cosmology

Their role resembles:

• Amazonian shamans

• Maya spiritual specialists

• Andean healers

• North American medicine people

but with uniquely Taíno ceremonial practices and Caribbean symbolism.

One of the strongest surviving echoes of Behique traditions can still be seen in:

• Caribbean folk healing

• herbal traditions

• syncretic spirituality

• cave pilgrimages

• Dominican and Puerto Rican Indigenous revival movements today.