210 



THE ABORIGINES OF PORTO RICO 



It is prohabk' that a race capable of iiiakiiifr wooden stools of tlie 

 fine character shown in specimens described manufactured also manj' 

 wooden implements and carved them with elaborate syml)ols. The 

 beauty of carved wooden objects from Haiti is commented on b\- early 

 chroniclers, especially those who recorded the visit of the Spaniards 

 to the realm of Queen Anacaona. 



Ceremonial paraphernalia, especiall}' masks made of wood, are 

 mentioned by the earh- writers. Few of these objects now remain. 

 According to Doctor Cronau there is one in the capital of Haiti. 

 Columbus received from a caciciue a wooden mask with eyes, tongue, 

 and nose of solid gold. Altliough'no specimen of wooden mask from 

 Porto Rico has been preserved, from the similarity of the aborigines 



of this island to those of Haiti and 

 Jamaica it can hardly be doubted that 

 the former, like the latter, were famil- 

 iar with masks of wood. 



The West Indian islanders accom- 

 panied their rhythmic areitos^ or 

 dances, with instruments, among 

 which maj' be mentioned l)ells," tink- 

 lers, rattles, and dnuns. They had 

 likewiseahollow calabash with notches 

 cut on the exterior, which, when 

 scraped with a stick or stone, emitted 

 a rasping, rhythmic sound for the step 

 of the dance. A similar instrument 

 is still used by street musicians in 

 Porto Rico and other West Indian 

 islands. 



The aboriginal drum was made of a 

 1 ■ \v,,,,.kn iii.iri ir hollow log of wood, the fomi of which 



is shown in an illustration given in 

 It is not unlikely that the drum employed in the African 

 dances called Jximhas when held in the West Indies may be directly 

 derived from this primitive drum of the aborigines, although it may 

 have })een imported from Africa. 



Besides stone mortars and pestles the aborigines of the West Indies 

 employed wooden implements for the same purpose. The shape of 

 these wooden mortars was radically different from those of stone, 

 and the wooden pestles are cylindrical, with a hand-hold midway in 

 their length. 



Wooden mortars (figure 42), apparently closelv resembling those of 

 the ancients, are common in some parts of the island, being used at 

 the present day in grinding coffee. They are pro})ably direct sur- 



Oviedo. 



, bclis are said to have heen nmde of i 



