﻿ABOEIGINES 
  OF 
  HISPANIOLA 
  KRIEGER 
  495 
  

  

  by 
  a 
  conventionalized 
  decorative 
  and 
  religious 
  art 
  displayed 
  on 
  media 
  

   of 
  shell, 
  bone, 
  stone, 
  earthenware, 
  gold, 
  and 
  wood. 
  On 
  careful 
  count 
  

   and 
  analysis, 
  more 
  and 
  better-made 
  implements, 
  utensils, 
  and 
  other 
  

   objects 
  fashioned 
  from 
  conch 
  and 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  shell 
  may 
  be 
  

   recovered 
  from 
  any 
  Arawak 
  village 
  site 
  in 
  Hispaniola, 
  if 
  situated 
  

   within 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  kilometers 
  of 
  the 
  coast, 
  than 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  

   middens 
  within 
  caves 
  supposedly 
  occupied 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  by 
  some 
  

   pre-Arawak 
  people. 
  Implements 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  utensils 
  whether 
  shaped 
  

   from 
  stone 
  or 
  shell 
  are 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  cave 
  deposits. 
  The 
  middens 
  

   consist 
  practically 
  entirely 
  of 
  vast 
  quantities 
  of 
  shells 
  of 
  conch 
  and 
  

   other 
  mollusks, 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  either 
  roasted 
  or 
  boiled, 
  shattered, 
  

   or 
  otherwise 
  opened 
  to 
  extract 
  the 
  meat 
  of 
  the 
  mollusk. 
  In 
  lesser 
  

   quantity 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  bones 
  and 
  carapaces 
  of 
  turtle, 
  and 
  the 
  

   bones 
  or 
  scales 
  of 
  fish. 
  Mammal 
  bones 
  are 
  least 
  in 
  number. 
  Lay- 
  

   ers 
  of 
  ash 
  and 
  of 
  charcoal 
  are 
  thick 
  where 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  a 
  prim- 
  

   itive 
  hearth 
  surrounded 
  with 
  stones 
  used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  prep- 
  

   aration 
  of 
  food 
  indicates 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  activities 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  

   aboriginal 
  troglodytes. 
  

  

  One 
  type 
  of 
  implement 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  fairly 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  cave 
  

   deposits 
  of 
  Samana, 
  namely, 
  small 
  picks 
  crudely 
  shaped 
  from 
  the 
  

   outer 
  lip 
  of 
  the 
  conch 
  (Strombus 
  pugilis). 
  These 
  picks 
  were 
  useful 
  

   in 
  extracting 
  the 
  mollusk 
  from 
  its 
  shell. 
  Although 
  an 
  improvised 
  

   implement, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  produce, 
  as 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  struck 
  off 
  with 
  a 
  

   single 
  blow. 
  

  

  A 
  much 
  larger 
  pick 
  was 
  recovered 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers 
  from 
  

   various 
  Arawak 
  sites 
  near 
  the 
  northern 
  coast 
  of 
  Santo 
  Domingo. 
  

   This 
  type 
  of 
  pick 
  was 
  shaped 
  from 
  the 
  worked 
  rib 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  Indian 
  

   manatee 
  or 
  sea 
  cow 
  {Trichechus 
  manatus) 
  and 
  has 
  an 
  excavated 
  hafting 
  

   groove 
  at 
  its 
  center. 
  

  

  Gouges 
  and 
  beveled 
  celts 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  shell 
  of 
  the 
  large 
  conch 
  

   {Strombus 
  gigas) 
  are 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Arawak 
  of 
  Hispaniola. 
  

   These 
  implements 
  were 
  useful 
  in 
  dressing 
  wooden 
  stools 
  and 
  in 
  round- 
  

   ing 
  out 
  canoes 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  charred 
  by 
  fire. 
  Small 
  tubular 
  

   pestles 
  were 
  also 
  cut 
  from 
  the 
  rib 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  cow 
  (the 
  West 
  Indian 
  

   mermaid 
  of 
  Columbus). 
  

  

  Decorative 
  art 
  in 
  shell 
  is 
  best 
  illustrated 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  amulets, 
  

   pendants, 
  beads, 
  and 
  the 
  small 
  carved 
  personal 
  totems, 
  gods, 
  or 
  so- 
  

   called 
  zemis. 
  Perforated 
  oliva, 
  ultimus, 
  and 
  bulla 
  shells 
  were 
  used 
  

   as 
  beads 
  and 
  in 
  necklaces. 
  Both 
  transverse 
  and 
  lengthwise 
  perfora- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  common. 
  This 
  type 
  of 
  shell 
  bead 
  is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  Arawa- 
  

   kan 
  culture 
  throughout 
  the 
  Greater 
  Antilles. 
  Perforations 
  are 
  uni- 
  

   formly 
  made 
  with 
  a 
  saw 
  or 
  grinding 
  tool 
  and 
  rarely 
  by 
  drilling. 
  

  

  Shell 
  pendants 
  take 
  on 
  various 
  forms. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  purely 
  

   decorative, 
  others 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  amuletic 
  and 
  are 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  

   zemis, 
  still 
  others 
  are 
  just 
  ornaments. 
  Pierced 
  and 
  unpierced 
  gorgets 
  

  

  