FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL OBJECTS 189

tion of specimen//, are broken reliefdecorations of bowlsorvase.s.

It(/<)hasa

body

and limbs, andis not a

mere

head, thehands being represented restingontlieknees. Specimene isalarge fragmentof aflat bowl with relief ornamentationon therim and ahead inhigh

relief. This tigure likewise includes

arms

with pitsintheshoulders and ⁱⁿ other portions of the bodj'. Illustration ^;' represents a clay headobtainedbytheauthorinthecityof Santiago delosCaballeros, Santo

Domingo.

In /', f/, and g' are represented necks of bottles bearing faces on oneside.

They

are hollow,with an openingatthe top.

One

^finespecimen,

much more

^elaborate than the others, has a polished surfaceandthe features ofthe face are

more

than ordinarily well made. Several other specimens, figures I'-m, represented in plate i.xxxii. are necks of bottles or flasks adorned with laterally placedheads

made

^{in relief,}theincised superficialdecorationsineach occupying the intervals l)etween these heads. Pits at the ends of these incisedlines,a constant featurein Antillean incised decorations onpotter}-,are

shown

in</and</

.

The two

dishes

from

Santo

Domingo shown

in platelxxxiii, are finespecimensof Antillean pottery. Specimenais

more

highly con- ventionalizedthanspecimenh; thelatterhas raised headsontherim, surmounted liy a projection probably representing feathers. Both thesespecimensare trencher-shapedandwere probablyusedas platters for food.

They

resemblethedishes

from

cavesinJamaica, described andfigured

by

Doctor

Duerden

andothers.

The

aborigines of theLesserAntilles, likethose of Porto Ricoand Haiti,were

good

potters,and finespecimensof theirwarearefound inStKitts,Grenada, and Trinidad.

The

small islandof Carriacou, near St Vincent, where there are said to be Carib cemeteries, has jaelded instructive fragments of ceramic ware,

some

of which are

among

thefinestyetrecorded

from

the

West

Indies.

Plate LXXXIII,c-t\ representing potteiy

from

St Kitts, gives an idea ofvases, bowls,andplatters

from

thisisland.

The

ware has a red color and afine superficial polish and ^is decorated with incised lines tilled with white pigment.

As

^therearenoefiigyvasesin this collection, it

would

seem that the makers relied

more

on painting than on relief figures for ornamentation.

The

texture, color, and formsof potteryditier

somewhat from

thePorto Ricanvariety,asis naturalin artproductsofdiflerent races.

Pottery

from

theislandof (Irenadaislikewise a^finetypicalvariety of red ware,varying in forms,but sometimes decoratedwith relief heads resembling those found ⁱⁿ Porto Rico. It is naturallyallied closely toceramics

from

Trinidad, specimensofwhichare figured in plateLxxxv.

The Grenada

pottery(platelxxxiv,_a-f)iscloselyrelatedtothat of St Vincent,resembling fragmentsof heads

from

Carriacou,which are

190 THE

ABORIGINES OF

PORTO

RICO ^[etii.Ann.25

<aiuoiig' the finest

West

Indianware tliat has j'et

come

totlic Smith- sonian Institution.

While

in theirgeneral characterand^reliefdeco- rations,thesebowlsor vases are not far

removed from

thePortoKican, thej'havea specialized

form

thatisdistinctiveandreadih' recognized.

Plate

Lxxxiv

contains several heads

made

^of claj'covered with

what

appearstobe asuperficial sliporpigment which becomesred^{in firing.}

The

vesselsofwhich^the_ywerereliefdecorationsmust have have been exceptionallytine ones,butno complete bowlwasol)tained from the islandof

Grenada

orfromCarriacou.

The

geographical position ofTrinidad

—

^{itscontiguityto themain-}

land

—

^{linksitsfaunaandflora tothose of}South America. Therecan belittledoubtthatthe prehistoric culture of thisisland

was

identical with that of the banlvsof the Orinoco. Moreover.Trinidad,

known

tothe nativesasthe"landofthe

humming

bird,"

was

thegatewayof prehistoric migi'ations

from

South

America

totheAntilles. Archeo- logicalevidences of the character of

human

cultureontliisisland in prehistorictimes are particularly important.

There are several l)eautiful specimensof Trinidad potteryin the Victoria InstituteatPortof Spain,

two

ofwhich, through the kind- ness of the officersof that institution,were photographed and have been reproducedinplate

lxxxv.

These specimensare thus described intheappendixtoCollens'sGuidetoTrinidad:"

Thediscoveryofsomeinteresting IndianrelicsatErin duringtlie past month [May,1888]is,althoughIhadbrought

my

worktoanend,of sufficientimportance todemandabrief notice. Onthe occasionofa recentvisitofHis ExcellencySirW.

Robinsonandsuitetothe southern quarteroftheisland,theHon.H. Fowler,who wasoneoftheparty,observed amoundof shells. Dismounting,a closerinspection revealedsomepieces ofrudejiottery,andsubsequent excavationsby

Mr

A.Newsam, the warden,led totheunearthingofsome^{capitalspecimens,}indicatingbeyonda doulit thishadbeen thecenter, atsome^jieriod moreorless remote,ofanIndian settlement.

Thepotteryisoftwokinds,glazedandunglazed, thelatterdating backtoatime anterior tothe discoveryofthe NewWorld,fortheart ofglazingwasimknownto the earlyIndians,noris itlikelythat theybecame acquaintedwith itafterthe Spanish occupation.

Mr.Fowlerhasvery kindly placedat

my

disposal platei,andIgladlypublishit in

my

guide, asitmaybeofassistance in future investigations inTrinidad. I

may

addthatMr.Fowlerhimselfcollected inHondurastheobjectsdepictedin platei,

andthey indeed form thegroundwork ofa paper read before the Archreological SocietyinLondon byGen.SirH.Lefroy,R.A., F.R.S.,onthe3dofMay,1888.

The

explanation of the platein CoUens's Guide containing oneof the objects photographed by the author(see alsoaccompanyingplate

LXXXV,

b,//,5"),isalsoinstructiveregardingthe likeness ofTrinidad aboriginal potterytothe PortoRican.

The

illustrations thatappear ontheformerplateareaccompaniedbythe following explanation:

Figure1. A hollowstone,smooth inthe concave part,forming a rude mortar.

TheIndiansused ahardsmoothpestle forpoundingtheirseedsandgrains.

nLondon.1888.

FEWKES]

ARCHKDLOGICAL

OBJECTS 191 Figures2, 3, ana-j. Headsof animalsinburntclay,moreor less grotesquely shaped. Theeyesandmouthare oftenexaggerated,afew broad, boldlinesserving tobring out themoststriking features. Infigure4theheadofthemonkeyisfan- tasticallycrowned. Alltheseareprobably deities «orornamental attachmentsto earthenvessels.

Figure5.

A

well-shapedsquirrel. Perhaps a toywhistle.

Figure6. Anearthenbowl in fine preservation,about thesize of an ordinary vegetabledish. Withthelid,whichisunfortunatelymissing,therewoulddoubtless beagoodrepresentationofa tni-tle;as^{it is,}the headandtailare clearly,andthe limbssomewhatclumsily,shown.

Of

thespecimens above described, that

shown

in h,

V

^, h" is the onlyonefiguredin thisreport,butdifferentviewsofitareheregiven on accountofitsimportance in comparative studies of Porto Rican material.

Owing

totheunusual nature of the decorationsonitsinte- riorsurface,thereisaddedtheillustrationof afragment(platelxxxv,

a),thatisnot describedinthepa.ssagequotedabove. This objectisa platterofrough

ware

which, although broken, revealsenoughofthe decorationto

show

thegeneral intent. Ithas the exceptional charac- teristicofbeingdecorated onthe inside surface,noton theexterior, the decoration consisting of figures in low relief alternating with scrolls and circles in intaglio.

The

rim ofthe platterbearsrounded elevations thatare decoratedwith incisedcircles.

Inhisrepresented the turtle-shaped vesselreferi'ed to asfigure6of the above tpiotation.

The

threeviews of the object,from the side (5),

from

the top(^'),and

from

the front(//'),bring out clearlythe turtleform,especiallywell-markedinthe head.

In additiontoceramics, ofvariousshapesand degreesof excellence, theAntilleans

made many

other objects of burntclay,

some

of which arerepresented inplateLxxxvi. Specimenaisaclay cylinder,*the surface ofwhichiscovered withgeometricallyarranged grooves and ridges. Thisobjectwas probably usedasaroller toimprintonother objects the figures it bears, as, for example,on clayvessels before theywere^fired.

The

circular claystamp, both faces ofwhich are shown,h and 5',

has circular grooves broken at certain points, similartothe charac- teristicgeometric decorations already noted.

The

appearanceof the reverseside(//) suggests that it formerlyhadahandle(nowl)roken) attachedtothemiddle.

Illustration c represents a stone object in the Latimer collection that

was

figured

by

Professor

Mason

inhiscatalogue,towhichrefer- ence has been repeatedly made.

On

^the side opposite that here figured there is a depression of rectangularshape extendingtoward the peripherj^

from

the central hole and so situated as to serveasa slotfor attachment to a stick,suggesting that the object

was

part of an ancientspindle.

«Thereisgreatdoubtofthevalidity of this suggestion. &Similarobj ectsoccurinMexico.

192 THE

ABORIGINES OF

PORTO

RICO [eth.ANN.25

Shell and Bone Cakvinos

The

Porto Ricanaborigine.swereexpert lu carviiigbone. Several beautiful specimensof their

work

arein the Smithsoniancollection.

They made

also celts or chisels

from

shelland usedbright nacreous shellsfor eyes for their idols. Shellswere used also for beads and for ))odkins and needles. Several carved-shell objects of

unknown meaning

anduse areintheseveralcollectionsthathave been examined.

On

coral islands, like Barbados, where hard rock availalile for implements is scarce, shells almost wholly replace stone for imple- ments,andlargecollectionsofshell axes occur.

The

shell generally usedforthispurposeisthecouuuonconch, thelipofwhichis i)artic- ularlysolid,oftensemifossil.

Specimena,plateLxxxvii,isastring of stone beads,totheendof which^isattached ashellobject ofcurved shapeperforated for suspen- sion,andornamented at both ends. This pendantwas found inthe bowl

shown

inaand^«',plate Lxxvii, attached to a stringof beads, and

was

evidentlyamortuaryoffering.

The

objectrepresentedinc,platelxxxvii,is

made

ofshell,but for apurposethatisnotwholh'evident. Itwas purchased in SantoDo-

mingo

intheArchbishop^Merifiocollection. Illustration hrepresents shells thatwere excavated bytheauthor

from

the floor inthe

Cueva

de las Golondrinas, and,although they are artificiallyworked, their useis

unknown.

There^isan ornament

made

of shell inthe Iml)ert collection in the

form

of a carved plate,its surfacedecoruted with an incised circle surrounded bytriangles in the corners.

The

^linestexampleof Antilleanshelland bone carvingintheSmith- sonian collection,obtained

from

Archbishop Merino, ^isamanati rib witha figurecutonthehandle, the onlyoneofitskind

known

tothe author. ThisspecimenisI'epresentedinasideviewinplatelxxxvii,d.

The

shapeof the shaft practicallj' follows that of a rib,flat on the concave,rounded on theouterside.

The

edges andtheendopposite thehandle arerounded.

One

edge of this object ^is stained green throughout ^its length, probably

by

guanoorother chemical agentsinthefloorofthecavewhere

it

was

formerly buried.

The

most remarkable example of carving is inthe handle,

where

thereisa representation of a kneeling figure bent slightly

backward

toconform withthenaturalcurvature of the rib.

When

seen

from

theside,itwillbe noticedthatthe right

arm

is flexed forward, bringing thehand tothebreast,and that justbelow the shoulder there is an ornamented armlet.

The

legs have small tuberclesontheoutside of the anklesand ornamented anklets.

The

foreheadisnuichflattened,the ears areprominent,theeyes largeand circular.

The

frontview{d')showsthatthelefthand is notbentto

FEWKEs]

ARCHEOLOGICAL

OBJECTS

193

thebreast,butextendedtotheabdomen, andthatit isturned outward, withthelingersclosedon the palms.

The

umbilicusandgenitalsare inevidence, anda projectionontheheadresembles acap.

The

backview{d")shows little in addition to thatalready-noticed exceptabackbone formed

by

a

row

oflive rectangles, each with a central pit, corresponding to the vertebra?.

The

soles of the feet appear onthis side,andthetoes,likethelingers,areturnedbackward overdepressions that represent the bottoms ofthefeet.

The

whole objectissupposedto be avomiting stick,oneofthosementionedV)y

Gomara

and certain other early^vriters,thatwere used to help the priests to vomit before they entered the presence of their idols.

Wooden

sticks believed to have been usedfor thesame purposewill beconsideredlater.

The

object figurede, fi'onithe Smithsoniancollection, islikewise a fineexampleofPorto Ricanshellcarving. Althoughtoo small tol)e

worn,thisobjecthas the generalappearanceof a

mask

and

may

ha\e beenattached tothe forehead. Itwasevidentlytiedor attached to

some

foreign objectorusedasapendant, as the holesintherim show.

The

face is wellcut, eyes, nose,and especiallytheteeth,beingcare- fully' done.

The

folds under the chin were evidently intended to representappendages,asarms,allreseml:)lance towhich^islost.

Illustration/"representsawell-carvedshellobject,acquiredlikethe preceding, fi-omArchbishop Merifio. It is apparently one of those amuletsthatwarriors attachedtotiieirforeheads

when

they

went

into battle.

Two

parts are distinguishable

—

^{ashaftand ahead, the latter}

beingunitedtotheformerb}'ashort neck.

The mouth

^islarge,with teeth wellcarved; thelipsare small; thechin is absent.

The

noseis

prominentlycurved,but of theflattype elsewhere

commented

upon;

the eyes are large, I'ound,with orbits inwhich foreign objectswere formerly cemented.

The

forehead iswanting: the ears are far back onthe head. Seen fromthe front,the faceis narrow and ears ai'e prominent.

The

shaftisirregularlyrectangular

when

seen inprofile, andperforatedand notched ontop and front.

The

surfaceopposite theneckisvery smooth. Thisisoneof thefinest

known

specimensof Antillean^shellcarving.

Specimen(j alsoisafinelycarved bonerepresenting a seated figure withthe hands on the knees.

The

backis plainand smooth,with a perforation forsuspensionjustbehindthe narrow'connectionbetween headandbody, a region that isnot theneck butthe lowerjaw, upon which are markings representing the ^teeth.

The

eyes are shallow concavepits; the earsinprominent relief. Thereisarepresentation of a

crown

with feather'son the head.

From

comparisonwith other objects, and

from

the fact that the eye depressions have a rough surface,it is probable that gold nuggets were formerly inserted in thesesocketstorepresenteyeballs.

25 ETH

—

⁰⁷ 13

194 THE

ABORIGINES OF PORTO RICO [eth. ann. io AA'ot)l>KN Ob.TEC'TS

CASSAVA ⁽ⁱRATERS

The

iiborig'ines of Porto Kico were essentially agriculturists and raised great ([uantities of manioc, the root ofwhich

was

eaten after having-been ground andthe poison extracted.

The

mealofthisroot,

made

intocassava bread,wasthe food of theislanders, asitwasuniver- sall}'usedb}^the

West

Indian aborigines. Itsuseasa foodisstillcom-

mon among

thepooi'erpeople,andtheprocesses of manufacture

now

followed arepracticallythe

same

asthose

employed

bythe prehistoric people,exceptthat a metal platehas beensubstituted for the former frying-stone,andtheimplementusedingi-ating-therootis

now made

of ironinstead ofwood. (Jassa\amoal andbread arestillsoldinmarket places all over Santo

Domingo

andⁱⁿPortoRico, andcassava sieves and strainers are objects' in

common

use.

No

aboriginal cassava gratershave beencollectedin PortoRico. l)utafew wereseenincol- lections in Santo Domino-i), and thereiseveryprobabilit}'thatthese imjilements had practi- cally the

same

form in the two islands. Senor Desanglesof Santo Do-

mingo

has one of these ancient cassava graters, and there is

another owned by

Seiior

Cam-

biaso,of the

same

city.

The

Smithsonian Insti- tution has anotherspeci-

men from

Haiti.

Thesegraterswereflat orslightlycurvedboards,sometimes havinghandles, with the surface coveredwith sharp stones,often set ingeometricalfigures,fastened bymeansof vegetablegums. ^Itissaid that stone graterswere some- times used, but none of these exist in the collections examined, althoughthere arerubbing^stones withoutattachedsharp stones that

may

have served the

same

purposeas the

more

ornamentalgraters.

DANCE

OB.IECT

Mr Yunghannis

of

Bayamon,

nearSan Juan, Porto^{Rico, hasinhis} collectiona stone objectwhich shows goodevidence that^it

was

attached toastart'andcarriedinprocessions or dances.

Thisunii[uespecimen, figure37,represents a birdwithoutlegs,but withhead andwell

marked

wings. Ithas aflat,slightlycurved base and

was

apparently

bound

toastick bystrings passingthroughholes near the rim,asis

shown

inthefigure.

.37.Stonebird.

FEWKEs]

ARrHEOLOGirAL

OBJECTS ^"

195

Tilenature of the tluneiny .sticks .still used in mortuarydance.sby theIndians ofGuiana

may

he learnedfrom im Thurn,

who

figuresone of these dancestickswith an efEgv ofaquadruped attached to one extremity.

The same

author .states that "the

Ackawoi

have one danceinwhicheach of the performers represents adifferentanimal, andeachcarriesastick on which is thefigure ofthatanimal.""

He

likewisespeaks of thesedancesticks as"tippedwithrude andpainted imagesof

some

bird,tish. oranimal.''

Thereiseveryprobability, since theresemblanceslietween the abo- rigines of Porto Rico and those of the mainlandof South America werelinguistic-allyandotherwise veryclose,that themortuary custom of carryingstickswith attachedfiguresor zemis existed likewiseonthe i.sland,andthat

many

of thestoneimageswhich

show

unmistakableevi- dences of having been lashed to foreign objects were used for this purpose.

SWALLOWIN(i-.STICK.S

Among

themost remarkable specimensof

wood

carvingfrom Santo

Domingo

are five curved stickswith elaborate handles cut on their ends, representing

human

beings. Figures of these objects,

from

sketches

made

))Vthe author, are

shown

in plate lxxxviii, parts1 and2. Thesesticksare

now owned

by SenorImbert, ofPuertoPlata,

who

purchased

them from

a

man

thathad found

them

Liia cavewith, the

wooden

idol laterdescribed.