Prehistoric Antiquities from the Antilles, in the British Museum

the Society three figures supposed to be of Indian Deities in wood, found in June, 1792, in a natural cave near the summit of a mountain called Spots, in Carphenters Mountain, in the parish of Vere, in the Island of Jamaica, by a surveyor in measuring the land.They were discovered placed with their faces (one of which is that of a bird) towards the east."All are cut from solid, very heavy and hard dark wood, and have a high polish.Two (Plates XLVIII, alnd XLIX, 3, and L and LI, 1) still have the shell inlay which represented the teeth; in the other (Plate XLIV, 1 and 2), it has been lost; the eyes of all were also inlaid, but only the resinous matrix remains.The two with human heads (Plates XLVIII and XLIX) have chai'nels running down the cheeks, a peculiarity which is also seen in one of the pestles in the Museum (Plate LIV, 4); these also appear to have contained inlay and may represent painting.In conlnection with the bird-headed figure, it is interesting to note that Fewkes speaks of " The Aboriginal Porto Rican tradition" to the effect that women "were created for men from four eagle-like beings possessed of feet and hands."Of the other two, the larger (Plate LI, 2) was purchased for the Christy Collection in 1866 from a dealer; no infornlation cale with it beyond the statement that it was " Carib."The engraved ornament is chiaracteristically Antillealn, anld there seeims no reason to doubt that it is a piece of old West Ilndian work.The renmaining specinmen (Plate LII, 4 and 5) belonged to the original Christy Collection; there is no entry on the slip catalogue to show how or whence it was obtained, the only information in connection with it being contained in the words "The Caribes."Of all five it is interesting to lnote that three (Plates L, LI, anld LII, 4 and 5) have the, heads of birds, one of them showing the complete figure of a bird standing on a tortoise or turtle (Plate LI, 2).Two (Plates XLIX, 1 and 2, and LI, 2) are furnished with the peculiar " canopy" which is a frequelnt feature of West Indian idols.The meaning of this " canopy " is obscure, but it may be that the idols which possess it were intended as supports for some object of worship, alnd in this connection I should like to call attelntion to a passage quoted by Fewkes, which, I would suggest, throws a little light on the subject.Herrera' writes: "Within the 'temple' they have a small, well-made table (tabla), round in form, on which are placed certain powders with which they sprinkle the neads of the images with definite cere-monies."Davies2 menltions these tables in a passage also quoted by Fewkes: "It is requisite above all things that the honme or hut inta which the Boye [medicine man] is to enter should be very neatly prepared for his reception; that the little table, which they call Matouton, should be furnished with anakri for Maboya-that is, an offering of cassava and onicon for the evil spiritas also the first-fruits of their gardens if it be the season of fruits."

Ancient history · Archaeology · Geography · Prehistory · History · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology

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