IMAGING ADORNOS

292 Pages·2012·10.88 MB·English

IMAGING ADORNOS: CLASSIFICATION AND ICONOGRAPITY
OF SALADOID ADORNOS F'ROM
ST. VINCENT, WEST INDIES
By
losif Moravetz
A Thesis
Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
in Partial Fuifìlment of the Requirements
for the Degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
Department of Anthropology
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(c) April, 1999
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IMAGING ADORNOS: CLASSIFICATION AND ICONOGRÄPEY
OF SALADOID ADORNOS FROM
ST. \'INCENT, WEST INDMS
by
Iosif Moravetz
A ThesislPracticum submitted to the Facuìty of Graduate Studies of The University
of Manitoba in partial firlfillnent of the requirements of the degtee
of
Master of A¡ts
Iosif Moravetz @ 1999
Permission has been granted to the Library ofrhe university of Manitoba to lend or sell
copies of this thesis/prâcticum, to the National Library of c¡nada to microfilm this
thesis/practicum and to lend or sell copies of the film, and to Dissertations Abstracts
International to publish an abstract ofthis thesis/practicum.
The author reserves other publication rights, and neither this thesis/practicum nor exteusive
extracts from it may be pritrted or otherwise reproduced without the author's wriften
permission.
ÄBSTR.A,CT
The aim of this thesis is to calTy out a systematic study ofSaladoid figurineJike artifacts,
called 'adomos' (250 B.c. -4.D. 500), recoveied from archaeologicar contex'ts on the isrand of
st. Vincent, west Indies. Made out of clay, these adomos decorat-ed the rims, handres, and
exterio¡s ofvessels, and depicted a variety oflocal and nonlocal animars thai were noi only a
valuable subsistence resource but probably figured prominently in saladoid cosmorogy.
. - This systematic study is conducted on 210 aãomos and involves (1) a formal
classificæion, and (2) iconography. The firsr step in borh classification Àá iconog;àphy is the
description and compilation of formar att¡ibutes ior each adomo, such as shapes oî.y"., pup .,
noses, mouths, etc. Based on these formal attributes a formal classification ls dete¡mine¿, from
which types of images are identified for the iconographic analysis. These image types are then
identifìed to specific animals by drawing analogies bàtween formal attributes Ãd äatomical
features observed on animals available during Saladoid times. Further information related to
identity is determined from a close inspection ofTaino myths, which are used to draw inferences
upon possible secondary meanings assigned to them by the Saladoid people. Lastly, the
importance ofthese adomo images is ascertained by a close inspection oi trr" rr"qu"n"y urra
extent to which these images are used within the saladoid cultu¡e as determined from íhe
archaeological context.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Louis A aire, for all his support, positive criticism,
enco.Iagement and, above all, his f¡iendship over the past five years. His generosity permitted
me to accompany him to the west Indies and introduced me to caribbean archaeology and
adomos. Dr' Allaire has patiently reviewed my work and provided valuable guidanãe in the art
of thesis writing. I highly respect his dedication to his students and his profeslsion. I would like
to also thank my committee members, Dr. David stymeist and Dr. Lea Stirling, for their patience
and feedback on this thesis.
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Earle Kirby, Museum curator and
Chairman of the St. Vincent and Grenadines National Trust, for allowing me free access to the
museum collections. His generosity, assistance and friendship are greally appreciated. I would
also like to thank Mrs. Janet Wall for her helpful insighfs on the a.chaeoiogìcal material from
Amos Vale.
over the last five years, I have made a number of good friends, and their support has
contributed towards the completion of my thesis. I would like to thant< D¡. stan Freår for
discussions on computers, genealogy, and world politics (no brown sugar, Stan). My thanks go
out to Val McKinley for her support in the last stretch and joining me in frequent cups of coffee
(good lab coffee). Appreciation is extended to Patrick Canoll for insightful discussions and his
kind offer of his computer graphics abilities. Thanks to Kate Peach foi putting up with pat and I
and all our off-the-wall ideas (eh, Karie?). To Jordi Malasiuk, thanks foi the stufied turtle and
for all the invitations to christmas dinner. To Sandra Jezik and Hani Ktralidi, we will always
have Romania - thank you. To Liz, carla, Ed, Gene, paul and Ian, thanks for your company, and
all the best. I would also like to thank rom Head and Stan van Dyke for theii support and
patience over the last three years. A kind special thanks must go out to my dearest friend and
partner, Bonnie Brenner, whose patience and encouragement over the last decade have helped me
achieve my goals.
Finally, I would like to thank my parents, Elisabeta and Laszlo Moravefz,for their
unconditional support and encouragement. It is with gratitude that I dedicate this thesis to them.
Formal Att¡ibutes.
Technology
1
Type IV: Ovoid heads......
125
CHAPTER VIII
CONCLUSION
Perspective.....
The Comparative .................................191
Perspective..
The Chronological ........197
Perspective........
The Interpretive ................................2uJ
Conclusion........
.......207
8I8LIOGRAPHY.......................
...................210
APPENDIX A - Archaeological Contexts of Saladoid Adornos from St. Vincent............. ........225
APPENDIX B - Attribute List of Saladoid Adomos from St. Vincent.......................................239
PL4T8S...........
....................2s0
List of Tables
1 . Information ¡ecorded for each adomo............... ..49
2. Orientation of adomos in relation to vessel openings......... ._57
shapes...............
3. Totals of eye forms associated with existing head .....-....-...57
forms.................
4. Totals of pupil forms associated with eye ..........................62
shapes...............
5. Totals ofnose forms associated with existing head ............65
fo¡ms.................
6. Totals of nostril forms associated with nose ......................66
shapes...............
7. Totals of mouth forms associated with existing head .........70
forms.........
8. Totals of lip forms associated with mouth .................................70
9. Adomo type distribution in the Lesser Antilles and
America...............
coastal South ....................193
vi
List of Figures
1 . Adorno head forms
2. Variations in head shapes
3. Adomo eye foüns.
6. Adomo nostril forms.
9. Adorno body forms.
10. Decorations of adomo
1 1. Type IA1 adornos ............85
15. Type IAlc adomos...... 91
16. Type IA2a adomos...... 93
17. Other Type IA adomos
18. Type IBia adomos....
20. Type IBIa adomos ....100
vii