The Colour of Time

Head Pots and Temporal Convergences

Bibliographic Data

ID6043792
AuthorsCharles R Cobb (0000-0003-4579-6340, Institute of Archaeology, corresponding author), Eric Drake (0000-0002-5945-8089), Eric C Drake (Binghamton University)
Year2008
Volume18
Issue1
Pages85-93
Publication date2008-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCambridge Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0959-7743 • E-ISSN: 1474-0540
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0959774308000097
OpenAlexW2113022891
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited47

Colour symbolism permeated the world of indigenous North America. This symbolism was often tied to the cosmos where the earth was viewed as a quadrilateral disk and each of the four cardinal directions was linked with a colour array such as red, white, black, and blue. We suggest that the recurring use of certain colours and colour contrasts comprised a suite of long-term historical practices that were essential for reproducing certain views about the world and about being in the world. Further, the rendering of colour had a plasticity that allowed it to enter a discourse about daily life that was intertwined with notions of the long-term. As a case study, we focus on well-known ceramic head effigies in the central Mississippi Valley to argue that their veneers of contrasting red and white were imbued with a notion of time immemorial that converged with other conceptions of temporality, most importantly, a pressing concern with regional violence, personal safety, and spiritual integrity

Aesthetics · Art · Epistemology · Indigenous · Temporality · Visual arts · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Philosophy

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