﻿ABORIGINES 
  OP 
  HISPANIOLA 
  KRIEGER 
  501 
  

  

  A 
  spatula-shaped 
  object 
  of 
  copper 
  alloy 
  was 
  recovered 
  from 
  a 
  

   midden 
  at 
  Anadel 
  near 
  Samana 
  by 
  the 
  writer. 
  It 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   determine 
  its 
  aboriginal 
  use. 
  It 
  is 
  4 
  inches 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  tapers 
  

   from 
  a 
  flattened 
  basal 
  section 
  to 
  a 
  sharp 
  point. 
  The 
  flattened 
  

   discoidal 
  basal 
  section 
  shows 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  shaping 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  by 
  

   hammering. 
  Similar 
  spatulas 
  of 
  metal 
  alloy 
  and 
  of 
  native 
  proveni- 
  

   ence 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  archeological 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  

   Museum 
  from 
  Bolivia, 
  Ecuador, 
  and 
  elsewhere 
  from 
  the 
  highlands 
  of 
  

   northwestern 
  South 
  America. 
  

  

  Lucayans 
  informed 
  Columbus 
  that 
  gold 
  came 
  to 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  

   south; 
  Cubans 
  said 
  it 
  came 
  to 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  east; 
  while 
  the 
  Parians 
  

   of 
  the 
  Venezuelan 
  coast 
  claimed 
  they 
  obtained 
  their 
  gold 
  from 
  other 
  

   tribes 
  living 
  on 
  the 
  mainland 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Paria 
  Peninsula. 
  At 
  

   Cumana, 
  on 
  the 
  mainland, 
  natives 
  knew 
  of 
  Porto 
  Rican 
  and 
  Haitian 
  

   gold. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  probable 
  that 
  aboriginal 
  barter 
  in 
  gold 
  extended 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  Antilles 
  from 
  Florida 
  to 
  Venezuela. 
  

  

  Three 
  objects 
  of 
  hammered 
  thin 
  gold 
  plate 
  were 
  recovered 
  by 
  the 
  

   writer 
  from 
  a 
  midden 
  near 
  Monte 
  Cristi 
  by 
  sieving; 
  the 
  objects 
  

   were 
  excavated 
  from 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  18 
  inches. 
  Two 
  of 
  the 
  pieces 
  are 
  

   from 
  the 
  same 
  midden 
  and 
  were 
  found 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  

   from 
  one 
  another, 
  while 
  the 
  third 
  was 
  obtained 
  from 
  another 
  midden 
  

   on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  site. 
  Each 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  objects 
  is 
  

   of 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  paper 
  and 
  showed 
  under 
  the 
  glass 
  numerous 
  

   marks 
  or 
  hammering 
  and 
  bits 
  of 
  gold 
  leaf 
  compressed 
  into 
  the 
  lateral 
  

   surfaces 
  or 
  folded 
  back 
  at 
  the 
  edges 
  and 
  smoothed 
  by 
  hammering. 
  

  

  Two 
  of 
  the 
  objects 
  are 
  plain, 
  while 
  the 
  third 
  is 
  a 
  fragment 
  and 
  has 
  

   fragmentary 
  decorative 
  designs, 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  edges 
  having 
  been 
  

   carelessly 
  cut 
  off, 
  leaving 
  only 
  two 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  straight 
  edges 
  at 
  

   right 
  angles. 
  The 
  decorative 
  design 
  is 
  crude 
  when 
  contrasted 
  with 
  the 
  

   best 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  aboriginal 
  potter 
  or 
  the 
  worker 
  in 
  stone, 
  but 
  com- 
  

   pares 
  favorably 
  with 
  designs 
  scratched 
  or 
  incised 
  on 
  the 
  so-called 
  

   scarified 
  earthenware 
  from 
  northern 
  Santo 
  Domingo. 
  Freehand 
  

   curvilinear 
  and 
  straight 
  line 
  etchings, 
  punctations, 
  concentric 
  circles, 
  

   and 
  dots 
  constitute 
  the 
  media 
  of 
  design. 
  The 
  object 
  is 
  perforated 
  and 
  

   has 
  seen 
  secondary 
  use 
  as 
  a 
  pendant, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  from 
  its 
  

   present 
  fragmentary 
  nature 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  original 
  use. 
  The 
  

   decorative 
  design 
  is 
  bilateral. 
  This 
  effect 
  is 
  obtained 
  through 
  alter- 
  

   nate 
  bilateral 
  impressions 
  with 
  a 
  blunt 
  knife 
  on 
  the 
  obverse 
  and 
  

   reverse 
  surfaces. 
  Thus, 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  five 
  concentrically 
  etched 
  lines 
  in 
  

   the 
  upper 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  figure 
  have 
  been 
  traced 
  three 
  on 
  one 
  lateral 
  

   surface 
  and 
  two 
  on 
  the 
  intervening 
  spaces 
  of 
  the 
  opposite 
  surface. 
  

   The 
  soft 
  metal 
  is 
  thus 
  forced 
  into 
  sharply 
  defined 
  ridges 
  and 
  grooves. 
  

   The 
  same 
  technic 
  is 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  shaping 
  the 
  remaining 
  figures 
  

   appearing 
  in 
  the 
  design. 
  Circle 
  and 
  dot 
  designs 
  representing 
  eyes 
  

   have 
  usually 
  three 
  concentric 
  circles, 
  surrounding 
  a 
  central 
  puncta- 
  

  

  