136 THE ABORIGINES OF POKTO RICO [eth. anx. 25 



they could not be worn over the face. The cu^^tom of carrying- sim- 

 ihxr objects in the hand seems to have been practised in certain parts 

 of Central America, and we have clay images from Costa Rica bear- 

 ing heads in their hands, one of which is iigured by Mi Hartman. 

 While, therefore, as acknowledged by Professor Mason," it requires 

 a slight stretch of the imagination to call the objects included in this 

 class masks for the face, he deems it not impossible that they may 

 have served a similar purpose when carried in the hand or may have 

 indicated the god personated. Professor Mason describes one of these 

 objects as follows: 



There is one mask, discoidal in form, from the periphery of wliicli two c^'linch'ical 

 knobs proceed, looking again very much like attachments for a handle. 



The use of wooden masks was common in some islands of the "We.st 

 Indies, l)ut the only specimen thus far known is in the capitol at Port 

 au Prince, Haiti, a good figure of which is given in Doctor Cronau's 

 Amerika. Apparently these wooden masks, like those made of stone, 

 were painted and incrusted with ornaments of metal or stone, and were 

 worn over the face. It is possible that the wearer, when thus using 

 them, was supposed to personate a god or zcml. 



There are one or two references in early writings to the wearing of 

 masks bv the Antilleans, as on the occasion of the visit of the Cuban 

 cacique to Columbus.'' We are told by Bernaldez that when the ship 

 of Columbus was ofi' the coast of Cuba it was approached l)v a canoe 

 in which was the cacique, who brought with him a man who acted as 

 standard bearer. This man stood alone in the l)ow, "wearing a loose 

 coat of red feathers resembling in shape those of our kings-at-arms. and 

 on his head was a large plume, which looked very well ; and in his hand 

 he bore a white banner, without any device. Two or three men had 

 their faces painted, all in the same way, and each of these wore on his 

 head a large plate, in shape like a helmet, and over the face a round 

 tablet, as large as a plate, likewise painted, all in the .same style, for 

 neither in these tablets nor in the plumes was there any difference." 



From the size and the general appearance of masks ol)tained from the 

 West Indies, there is reason to l)elieve that many of them could not 

 have been worn but must have had some .Si'condary use and .symbolic 

 meaning. It is proi)able that these masks, large or small, were some- 

 times exchanged as .syml)ols of fealty, from the fact that they were 

 pi'esented to those whom the givers regarded as superior per.sons or 

 gods. 



On several occasions Columbus received such presents, often of 

 elaborate workmanship. The presentation meant nmch to the Indian, 

 for, judging from the .sacred wa}' in which primitive man regards 



a Catalogue of the Latimer Collection, p. 384. 



fc Washington Irving, Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus, New York, 1S6G. 



