Atabey; Resurrection by Inaru Kinti aka Ivy Nightingale | Created June 6th, 2025

This iteration of Atabey is a rendition of previous versions. The use of Taino petroglyphs and body art symbolism are used to illustrate the Caribbean Universal Mother. The introduction of vector art programs were used, giving the piece smoother and crisper lines.

Since the creation of the piece, Ivy started to deeply listen to studies from Professor Alphonso who leads Taino Studies, and Irka Mateo an indigenous musician from the Dominican Republic, both dedicated to preserving the native culture. Textbooks from the artists’ personal collection were also used to cross reference and mentally red-line outdated material as we decolonize and piece back together ancestral memory.

We Are Still Here and We Remember; by Inaru Kinti aka Ivy Nightingale previously known as Ibaya Art | Created November 27th 2022

In this painting, Nanny steps into a river. Surrounding her are stylized Taino carvings of the Cemi’no (ancestral spirits). There are birds and plants unique to Xaymaca (Jamaica) that hold profound symbolism and intrinsic values. This piece was created with the intention of telling multiple stories at once, with the flexibility to change and alter focuses within the same painting. The combination of imagery within the painting portrays an in-depth lore that would be near impossible to cover in one essay.

Within indigenous ways of knowing Nanny’s foot touching the water serves as a link between birth, life and death. It also symbolizes purification, taking a step towards healing. Her foot is right behind a stylized statue of Atabey. Atabey is the Taino female creator ancestral spirit that represents primordial waters, fresh rivers and pools. In Taino spirituality they see all bodies of water as entities. Water is sacred. Without water, there is no life. Numerous sacred animals, herbs and trees surround her, and she protects them. Caves are also sacred, and caves are the openings to Atabey’s womb. The golden umbilical cord rooting straight into the earth and water signifies a permanent and unbreakable tie to the earth. The seed in Nanny’s hand is bright gold, surrounded by a fertility symbol. Burying the umbilical cord under a tree remains an important Afro-Indigenous traditional practice in Jamaica and signifies ancestral ties and connection with the land.