﻿ABORIGINES 
  OF 
  HISPANIOLA 
  KEIEGER 
  493 
  

  

  covered 
  over. 
  Planting 
  was 
  repeated 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  favored 
  

   locations. 
  Irrigation 
  was 
  resorted 
  to 
  in 
  Xaragua, 
  where 
  trenches 
  

   have 
  been 
  observed. 
  

  

  The 
  digging 
  stick 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  planting 
  maize. 
  The 
  soaked 
  kernels 
  

   to 
  be 
  sown 
  were 
  carried 
  suspended 
  from 
  the 
  neck 
  in 
  a 
  woven 
  bag. 
  

   The 
  Arawak 
  farmer 
  made 
  his 
  plantings 
  in 
  a 
  cleared 
  field 
  in 
  the 
  forest. 
  

   The 
  savannas 
  were 
  unavailable 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  grasses 
  and 
  tangled 
  root 
  

   masses 
  which 
  would 
  smother 
  the 
  newly 
  planted 
  crop. 
  

  

  Like 
  the 
  cassava, 
  yams 
  and 
  sweet 
  potatoes 
  were 
  cultivated 
  in 
  

   mounds 
  while 
  maize 
  was 
  grown 
  in 
  hills 
  separated 
  by 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  

   a 
  pace. 
  

  

  Hunting 
  was 
  limited 
  by 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  large 
  mammals. 
  Jutias 
  were 
  

   hunted 
  by 
  burning 
  the 
  grass 
  to 
  drive 
  them 
  out. 
  Communal 
  drives 
  

   were 
  organized 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season. 
  Clubs 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  hunting 
  weap- 
  

   ons, 
  and 
  the 
  small 
  dumb 
  dog 
  was 
  employed. 
  These 
  dogs 
  themselves 
  

   were 
  eaten 
  and 
  considered 
  a 
  delicacy 
  next 
  to 
  the 
  iguana. 
  The 
  iguana 
  

   was 
  stewed 
  over 
  a 
  slow 
  fire. 
  An 
  earthenware 
  chafing 
  dish 
  made 
  to 
  fit 
  

   the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  iguana 
  was 
  a 
  local 
  development 
  in 
  ceramics. 
  

  

  Raw 
  food 
  was 
  also 
  consumed 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  underdone 
  or 
  raw 
  fish, 
  

   while 
  worms 
  and 
  grubs 
  removed 
  from 
  rotting 
  wood 
  were 
  eaten 
  un- 
  

   cooked. 
  

  

  Native 
  ingenuity 
  was 
  developed 
  in 
  perfecting 
  accessories 
  for 
  hunt- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  fishing. 
  Fish 
  corrals 
  of 
  closely 
  driven 
  piling 
  were 
  set 
  in 
  lagoons 
  

   and 
  shallow 
  coves 
  and 
  new 
  fishing 
  gear 
  was 
  developed 
  distinct 
  from 
  

   that 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  tribes 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  American 
  tropical 
  lowlands. 
  Fish- 
  

   hooks 
  of 
  clamshells 
  carved 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  aboriginal 
  shell 
  fish- 
  

   hooks 
  from 
  California 
  were 
  uncovered 
  by 
  the 
  Museum 
  expedition 
  

   while 
  excavating 
  a 
  kitchen 
  midden 
  at 
  Boca 
  del 
  Infierno, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   caves 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  shore 
  of 
  Samana 
  Bay. 
  When 
  fishing, 
  uninhabited 
  

   coasts 
  were 
  visited, 
  as 
  were 
  also 
  the 
  small 
  islands 
  off 
  the 
  mainland 
  of 
  

   Haiti. 
  Large 
  drawnets 
  of 
  finely 
  woven 
  cotton 
  are 
  known 
  from 
  the 
  

   island, 
  but 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  fish 
  poisons 
  was 
  undeveloped. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  

   net 
  weights, 
  notched 
  bilaterally 
  but 
  otherwise 
  unworked 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   noted 
  at 
  all 
  village 
  sites 
  not 
  too 
  far 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  coast. 
  These 
  

   sinkers 
  vary 
  greatly 
  in 
  size 
  and 
  occur 
  in 
  quantity. 
  

  

  Other 
  examples 
  of 
  native 
  inventiveness 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  food-getting 
  

   habits 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  Arawak 
  of 
  Santo 
  Domingo 
  might 
  be 
  mentioned. 
  

   A 
  development 
  in 
  fishing 
  technic 
  was 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  sucker 
  fish 
  

   (remora). 
  The 
  powerful 
  sucker 
  developed 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   head 
  is 
  naturally 
  adapted 
  by 
  this 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  to 
  attach 
  itself 
  to 
  other 
  

   fish. 
  This 
  was 
  observed 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  who 
  then 
  captured 
  a 
  remora 
  

   alive, 
  tied 
  a 
  cord 
  to 
  it, 
  and 
  then 
  allowed 
  it 
  to 
  escape 
  until 
  it 
  became 
  

   attached 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  fish 
  or 
  turtle 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  its 
  sucker. 
  Both 
  fish 
  

   were 
  then 
  drawn 
  into 
  the 
  canoe, 
  the 
  captured 
  fish 
  disengaged 
  and 
  the 
  

   remora 
  again 
  set 
  free 
  to 
  attach 
  itself 
  to 
  another 
  fish. 
  

  

  