Atabey reimagined

Atabey Reimagined honors Atabey, the Taíno mother spirit of fertility, fresh water, and the earth. The Taíno envisioned her maternal body as the landscape itself, where womb-like caverns and mountain springs served as physical extensions of her nurturing spirit. In this work, I reinterpret Atabey as a contemporary Indigenous woman whose body and spirit remain inseparable from the land. Her frog-like legs reference fertility, transformation, and water, while the symbolic landscape within her womb reflects creation, continuity, and ancestral memory. Taíno symbols and layered textures surround her, reinforcing the enduring presence of Indigenous knowledge despite centuries of colonization. Through this painting, I reclaim Atabey as a living symbol of resilience, cultural survival, and our sacred relationship to the earth.