FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL OBJECTS 209 



Although no specimen of lui aboriginal canoe is known to have been 

 preserved to the pre.sent daj', it is probable that the canoes that put 

 out to-day to the steamers, from Dominica and other islands, are to all 

 intents and purposes of the same type, although not made in the same 

 way, as the Carib canoes. One may see on the Ozania river, near the 

 capital of Santo Domingo, many canoes not wholly unlike those manu- 

 factured in prehistoric times. Some of these modern canoes are of 

 considerable size and are used to transport the produce of the interior 

 of the island to the city. They may often be seen drawn up on the 

 banks of the river near the old market place, surrounding the ancient 

 ceiba tree, to which Columbus is said to have tied his boats. 



The hollowed logs of wood shaped like canoes that are still used in 

 the Yunque mountain region of Porto Rico for transportation of pro- 

 duce from the highlands to the i^lain maj' be sui-vivals of ancient 

 canoes, but in these no attempt is made to increase their capacity by 

 building up their sides. There are reports that old Carib canoes have 

 been found in caves of the smaller islands, but none of these have yet 

 been seen or studied by ethnologists. 



OTHEl; t)B.TE(TS 



The absence of stone arrow heads and spear points in all collections 

 from the island of Porto Rico, frequently referred to by archeologists, 

 argues that the bow and arrow were not used by the aborigines in war- 

 fare on this island. We have historical evidence that the Carib and 

 also some of the tribes on neighboring islands had spears, and Samana 

 bay in Santo Domingo received from Columbus its former name 

 from that fact. The main weapon of ofl'ense among the peaceful 

 people was apparently a wooden club, iiiacanii, but on some occasions 

 the natives armed themselves with their vaas. or planting sticks, 

 weapons wtich were not to be despised. The author has seen several 

 specimens of macanas, or wai' clubs, in Santo Domingo that were said 

 to be aboriginal weapons. These are made of very hard wood and 

 are sometimes knobbed at the end like a mace, sometimes smooth, not 

 unlike the sticks called cocmnacacs, still used b_v the Haitians. 



Although the wooden handles in which the petaloid celts were 

 inserted have not yet been found in Porto Rico, there is every evidence 

 that they were formerly plentiful and that they were similar in foi'm 

 to the one found in a cave on Turks island by Mr George J. Giblisand 

 illustrated by Professor Mason in figure 12 of his catalogue of the 

 Latimer collection. It is conjectured that these handles wei-e tinely 

 made and decorated on their ends and surfaces. The specimen referred 

 to has a knot and traces of carving on the extremity opposite that to 

 which the petaloid celt was attached. 



25 ETn — 07 14 



