DE BOO F— ANTILLEAN AMULETS 



Spain when the island of Hispaniola (Santo Domingo) was a colonial 

 possession. A label on the back of the amulet states that it came from 

 the Cibao mountains of Santo Domingo. 



Mr A. M. Archer, the possessor of the eighth and last amulet 

 (pi. ill, e), states that this object was acquired by him during a resi- 

 dence in Santo Domingo City and that it came from the vicinity of 

 Comendador, a village in the interior of Santo Domingo at the Hay tian 

 border. 



The North Caicos specimen (pi. i), 4^2 inches in height, is made 

 of serpentinous stone (altered amphibolite) , maculated with dark-green 

 spots. The figurine has a prominent mouth, with teeth indicated by 

 incised lines. The nose also is prominent, and both nostrils are shown. 

 The head is covered with an elaborate ornament which may be taken 

 to represent a conventionalized head-dress with a serrated crest. The 

 eyes are represented by shallow circular pits. The ears are divided 

 into a large upper and a small lower lobe, and the lobes are orna- 

 mented with incised lines. A shallow pit appears in the frontal part 

 of the lower lobe, as if the maker wished to indicate a pierced ear. 

 No arms are indicated. The amulet is perforated for suspension at 

 the junction of the head and the body. The legs of the deity are flexed 

 under the haunches, and the trunk is erect. The knees are spread 

 apart, and the piece of stone remaining between the legs may be the 

 result of the process of manufacture or may have been intended by 

 the carver to represent either an apron or a phallus. A band in relief 

 surrounds the ankles of the figurine, suggesting the Arawak custom 

 of binding the lower legs under the knees and above the ankles in 

 order that by thus retarding the circulation the calves of the legs 

 would become enlarged. The feet are proportionately larger than the 

 rest of the body, a well-known feature in the anatomy of monkeys, 

 and it may have been the intention of the maker of the amulet to 

 represent the figurine with monkey feet, especially as the toes, indi- 

 cated by incised lines, curve under the feet. 



The amulet from Cibao, Santo Domingo (pi. ill, g), is of white 

 limestone and stands an inch and a half high. As the feet of this 

 specimen are missing, its original height was probably a quarter of 

 an inch more. The mouth is prominently shown and has incised lines 

 to represent the teeth. The nose also is clearly indicated. The head 

 is covered with a banded crown, probably representing a head-dress, 

 or possibly the ceremonial table upon which the aboriginal priests 

 placed offerings to their deities. 1 The eyes are in relief, with a narrow 



1 Fewkes, J. Walter, An Antillean Statuette, with Notes on West Indian Religious Beliefs, 

 American Anthropologist, N. s., vol. XI, no. 3, July-Sept. 1909, pp. 348-358. 



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