FEWKEsJ CULTURE AKEAS IN THE WEST INDIES 209 



'• In Antillean, as in other tree worship, it was the spirit of the 

 tree that was the object of adoration, and that worship was more or 

 less connected with the material benefits desired — generally the food 

 that the tree yielded. The deity that controlled the manioc (yuca), 

 or the Yuca Spirit, Yucayti, was worshipped for temporal benefits, 

 the wooden idol being the A'isible, material sj^mbol. 



" In differentiating the elbow stone from the collar as a distinct 

 type, it has been shown above that the position of the heads of both 

 relative to the axis does not coincide, since one is transverse to the " 

 axis, the other longitudinal. In one case the object must be placed 

 vertically, in the other horizontally, in order to bring the face into 

 a normal position — a difference in position that remains to be satis- 

 , factorily explained. If, however, the elbow stone was carried, it may 

 be that one arm only of the elbow stone was attached to a statf and 

 the object carried upright, while the collar was laid horizontally 

 when in use, bringing the head into the same relative position. 



"It is evident that the furrow, or sulcus (s), is an important 

 feature in the morphology of elbow stones. This groove, non- 

 existent in the collars, may have been cut in the surface of the elbow 

 stone for the insertion of a rod or staff, to which it may have been 

 lashed with cords held in place by the grooves gii-dling the arm. It 

 is not always limited to one arm, but is sometimes found on both 

 arms, and it would appear that occasionally either two sticks were 

 attached to the stone, one at each end, or the two ends of the same 

 stick were bound to the arms, in which latter case the stick would 

 have to be bent into a hoop resembling in shape a stone collar, part 

 wood, part stone, the elbow being of the latter material. 



" The attachment of an elbow stone to a rod or staff was probably 

 by means of vegetal fibers. In some instances this was unnecessary, 

 since there was sometimes a depression in the end of each arm, as 

 in an elbow stone reputed to be owned bj' Seilor Balbas, of Porto Rico, 

 to which reference has been made elsewhere, but which the author 

 has not examined. In this case it appears as if there are depres- 

 sions in which the sticks were possibly inserted, rather than lashed 

 to the stone. 



" The theory that the extremity of a staff was laid in the sulcus 

 and lashed to the elbow stone would preserve the normal position of 

 the face carved on the panel if held vertically. If carried by means 

 of this staff, the face cut on the arm would be upright or in a nat- 

 ural position. Some of the elbow stones may have been carried in 

 the hand without an attached .staff, thus accounting for the absence 

 of a sulcus. * * * 



160058°— .34 ETH— 22 14 



