MATERIAL, CULTURE OF THE INDIANS OF SAMANA 53 



are anthropomorphic, representing a human being with legs flexed 

 sidewise at the knees. The arms are thrown upward behind the 

 head. When viewed transversely, in a recumbent position, the 

 figurine becomes zoomorphic and represents the figure of a frog 

 (pi. 11, No. 2). In this position the flexed lower legs are in the 

 characteristic froglike attitude of leaping; the upper legs also 

 assume a typical froglike pose. Toes and fingers are indicated 

 with three incised parallel lines. Two incised parallel lines traverse 

 the entire length of each leg and arm and have the effect of vivifying 

 the position of each member, tending to delineate the flexed muscu- 

 lature. 



When viewed in the upright position the human facial features are 

 represented by embossed surfaces, each well rounded and smoothed. 

 Features are separated from other features by incised lines. Thus 

 the eye is represented by a rounded embossed surface set diagonally 

 and is distinguished from the raised eyebrow by a curved incised line 

 or groove. From the large embossed triangle representing the nose 

 the eye is set apart with a diagonal line traversing the length of the 

 cheek. The pupil is a narrow diagonal slit at the center of the 

 embossed eyeball. Upper lip and chin are low embossed surfaces set 

 apart by a transversely incised line. Forehead is high. This, when 

 viewed from the side, with the figure in a recumbent or horizontal 

 position, becomes the projecting snout region of a frog. The large 

 mouth of the frog is represented effectively by an incised line well 

 rounded and extending well back. Between the extended back legs 

 of the frog figurine is the raised triangular surface so noticeable in 

 2 of Plate 11. This triangular surface represents the throat and 

 belly of the frog. The back of the frog figurine is a similarly em- 

 bossed triangular surface which becomes the torso of the human or 

 anthropomorphic figurine when viewed from the upright or vertical 

 position (pi. 11, No. 1). This zemi is one of the few compound fig- 

 urine carvings known to American aboriginal art. No similar speci- 

 men has ever been described from the West Indies, although the 

 technic is Tainoan in its detail and can not be mistaken as from 

 some other culture area. It is probable that the figurine was brought 

 to Samana from some of the more advanced centers of aboriginal 

 art in Haiti or Porto Rico. It is impossible to identify the species 

 of bone from which the figurine had been fashioned. The peculiar 

 combination of a zoomorphic figurine when viewed horizontally 

 and of an anthropomorphic figurine when viewed vertically in 

 an upright position is a striking bit of evidence of native ingenuity 

 in artistic design. It was recovered with the sievings at the rock- 

 cleft mortuary on Upper Orange Key, about 5 kilometers west of 

 the San Lorenzo Bav. It would be interestino; to know of another 



