﻿FEWKES] PORTO RI< \N MuM'. COLLARS I 79 



such a \\;i\ : secondly, some of these specimens have all their sides as 

 smi ii 'tli as glass, sh< wing no surface upon which am thing could have 

 been ground. In the third type the conoid prominence is highly 

 ornamented, which would hardly be the case were this part buried 

 in the ground, thus hiding the decorations from view. The conoid 

 projection is not of proper shape for holding in the hand — a vital 

 objection to the theory thai the tripointed stones were used for 

 rubbing. 



But perhaps the strongest objection to the theory that the tri- 

 pointed stones were used as mortars or rubbing stones is presented by 

 a specimen in the Latimer collection which has a portion of the Hat 

 base covered by a superficial layer of resinous-like gum or varnish. 

 There are other specimens which lead me to believe that several of 

 these stones, like some of the wooden idols, were covered with a sim- 

 ilar substance, the occurrence of which, still clinging to the base, 

 shows the absurdity of regarding this as a polishing or grinding sur- 

 face. 



Mason does not commit himself to either the mortar or the idol 

 ihei try. He says : 



" The rough under-surface of the mammiform stones suggests the 

 grinding of paint, incense, spice, or some other precious material, 

 and the natives are said by the historians to have been fond of aro- 

 matic substances. Against this it may be urged that they are too 

 costly for mortars ; that some are hollowed underneath, some are 

 flat, and some are convex; and that though very rough on the under 

 side, the roughness seems to be that of an original pecking, excepting 

 at the chin and knees of the Typhoean figure, where the stone is worn 

 smooth. The furrows at the base of the mammae seem to indicate 

 the custom of lashing them to a staff as ensigns, or [their use] to 

 dash out the brains of a victim or an enemy. There is no mention, 

 however, so far as I am acquainted, of the natives performing human 

 sacrifices. This lashing theory is strengthened by the fact that on 

 some of the masks which closely resemble the mammiform stones 

 there are cleat-like projections, evidently to be lashed to a handle. 

 There are no grooves worn in the furrows by a lashing that 1 could 

 discover. The bulging to the side of the mamma-, some to the right, 

 others to the left, hints at their use in pairs." 1 



The theory that the tripointed stones are idols has many advo- 

 cates, although some of the interpretations of the gods they represent 

 are entirely speculative. Dr. Stahl, 2 in his chapter on religion, by 



1 Op. cit, p. 392. 



2 Los Indios BorinquefiOS, pp. 157-172. In this chapter Dr. Stahl makes no 

 reference to Roman Pane and other writers who have given the most authori- 

 tative accounts of the religious concepts of the Haytians. There is little 

 doubt that the Borinquenos resembled the Indians of Hispahola in their re- 

 liinous as well as in their secular customs. 



