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This book seeks to debunk eleven popular and prevalent myths about
Caribbean history. Using archaeological evidence, it corrects many
previous misconceptions promulgated by history books and oral
tradition as they specifically relate to the pre-Colonial and
European-contact periods. It informs popular audiences, as well as
scholars, about the current state of archaeological/historical
research in the Caribbean Basin and asserts the value of that
research in fostering a better understanding of the region's
past.Contrary to popular belief, the history of the Caribbean did
not begin with the arrival of Europeans in 1492. It actually
started 7,000 years ago with the infusion of Archaic groups from
South America and the successive migrations of other peoples from
Central America for about 2,000 years thereafter. In addition to
discussing this rich cultural diversity of the Antillean past,
""Myths and Realities of Caribbean History"" debates the misuse of
terms such as 'Arawak' and 'Ciboneys', and the validity of Carib
cannibalism allegations.
Cemis are both portable artifacts and embodiments of persons or
spirits, which the Tainos and other natives of the Greater Antilles
(ca. AD 1000-1550) regarded as numinous beings with super-natural
or magic powers. This volume takes a close look at the relationship
between humans and other (non-human) beings that are imbued with
cemi power, specifically within the Taino inter-island cultural
sphere encompassing Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The relationships
address the important questions of identity and personhood of the
cemi icons and their human 'owners' and on the implications of cemi
gift-giving and gift-taking that sustains a complex web of
relationships between caciques (chiefs) of Puerto Rico and
Hispaniola.Oliver provides a careful analysis of the four major
forms of cemis - three-pointed stones, large stone heads, stone
collars, and elbow stones - as well as face masks, which provide an
interesting contrast to the stone heads. He finds evidence for his
interpretation of human and cemi interactions from a critical
review of sixteenth century Spanish ethnohistoric documents,
especially the Relacion Acerca de las Antiguedades de los Indios
written by Friar Ramon Pane in 1497-1498 under orders from
Christopher Columbus.Buttressed by examples of native resistance
and syncretism, the volume discusses the iconoclastic conflicts and
the relationship between the icons and the human beings. Focusing
on this and on the various contexts in which the relationships were
enacted, Oliver reveals how the cemis were central to the exercise
of native political power. Such cemis were considered a direct
threat to the hegemony of the Spanish conquerors, as these potent
objects were seen as allies in the native resistance to the
onslaught of Christendom with its icons of saints and virgins.
Examines the largely unexplored topics in Caribbean archaeology of
looting of heritage sites, fraudulent artifacts, and illicit trade
of archaeological materials Real, Recent, or Replica:
PrecolumbianCaribbean Heritage as Art, Commodity, and Inspiration
is the first book-length study of its kind to highlight the
increasing commodification of Caribbean Precolumbian heritage.
Amerindian art, including 'TaIno' art, has become highly coveted by
collectors, spurring a prolific and increasingly sophisticated
black market of forgeries, but also contemporary artistic
engagement, openly appreciated as modern artworks taking
inspiration from the past. The contributors to this volume contend
with difficult subject matter including the continued looting of
archaeological sites in the region, the seismic increase of
forgeries, and the imbalance of power and economic relations
between the producers and consumers of neo-Amerindian art. The case
studies document the considerable time depth of forgeries in the
region (since the late nineteenth century), address the policies
put in place by Caribbean governments and institutions to safeguard
national patrimony, and explore the impact looted and forged
artefacts have on how museums and institutions collect and
ultimately represent the Caribbean past to their audiences.
Overall, the volume emphasizes the continued desire for the
'authentic' Precolumbian artifact, no matter the cost. It provides
insights for archaeologists, museum professionals, art historians,
and collectors to combat illegal trade and support communities in
creating sustainable heritage industries.
A long sequence of social, cultural, and political processes
characterizes an ever-dynamic Caribbean history. The Caribbean
Basin is home to numerous linguistic and cultural traditions and
fluid interactions that often map imperfectly onto former colonial
and national traditions. Although much of this contact occurred
within the confines of local cultural communities, regions, or
islands, they nevertheless also include exchanges between islands,
and in some cases, with the surrounding continents. recent research
in the pragmatics of seafaring and trade suggests that in many
cases long-distance intercultural interactions are crucial elements
in shaping the social and cultural dynamics of the local
populations. The contributors to "Islands at the Crossroads"
include scholars from the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe
who look beyond cultural boundaries and colonial frontiers to
explore the complex and layered ways in which both distant and more
intimate sociocultural, political, and economic interactions have
shaped Caribbean societies from seven thousand years ago to recent
times. ContributorsDouglas V. Armstrong / Mary Jane Berman / Arie
Boomert / Alistair J. Bright / Richard T. Callaghan / L. Antonio
Curet / Mark W. Hauser / Corinne L. Hofman / Menno L. P. Hoogland /
Kenneth G. Kelly / Sebastiaan Knippenberg / Ingrid Newquist /
Isabel C. Rivera-Collazo / Reniel Rodriquez Ramos / Alice V. M.
Samson / Peter E. Siegel / Christian Williamson
The history of Puerto Rico has usually been envisioned as a
sequence of colonizations-various indigenous peoples from Archaic
through Taino were successively invaded, assimilated, or
eliminated, followed by the Spanish entrada, which was then
modified by African traditions and, since 1898, by the United
States. The truth is more complex, but in many ways Puerto Rico
remains one of the last colonies in the world. This volume focuses
on the successive indigenous cultures of Puerto Rico prior to 1493.
Traditional studies of the cultures of indigenous peoples of the
Caribbean have centered on ceramic studies, based on the
archaeological model developed by Irving Rouse which has guided
Caribbean archaeology for decades. Rodriguez Ramos departs from
this methodology by implementing lithics as the primary unit for
tracing the origins and developments of the indigenous peoples of
Puerto Rico. Analyzing the technological styles involved in the
production of stone artifacts in the island through time, as well
as the evaluation of an inventory of more than 500 radiocarbon
dates recovered since Rouse's model emerged, the author presents a
truly innovative study revealing alternative perspectives on Puerto
Rico's pre-Columbian culture-historical sequence. By applying a
multiscalar design, he not only not only provides an analysis of
the plural ways in which the precolonial peoples of the island
interacted and negotiated their identities but also shows how the
cultural landscapes of Puerto Rico, the Antilles, and the Greater
Caribbean shaped and were shaped by mutually constituting processes
through time.
How can we effectively interpret and present one culture to another
without stereotypes or over-simplifications? What is the best way
to present an authoritative version of a national heritage without
also endangering ancient sites or being insensitive to the local
customs, beliefs, and religious practices of the indigenous
peoples?This volume addresses the ongoing thrust in archaeology to
take the next step after preserving the past: Interpreting that
past for the future. That future audience includes both local
citizens and tourists who may have little background in
archaeology, anthropology, or the history of the culture featured.
Walker presents the key components of the anthropological study of
tourism as a global phenomenon, with particular emphasis on the
more prominent arguments for how and why tourism is a universal and
meaningful human activity. The highly controversial topic of
authenticity is examined, with special attention given to how
'authentic' has been defined and how it relates to the ways in
which archaeological sites, artifacts, and cultural traditions are
presented - or not presented - to the visiting public.The ephemeral
promise of 'authenticity' drives the heritage tourism industry,
which is a key consideration for the long-term economy of the Maya
Riviera and elsewhere. Through analysis of seven archaeological
sites on the Yucatan peninsula that are open to heritage touring,
Walker reveals the planned growth of the Maya Riviera since the
early 1970s and examines the impact of international tourism on
both ancient structures and the contemporary Maya people and
culture.
According to the European chronicles, at the time of contact, the
Greater Antilles were inhabited by the Tainos or Arawak Indians,
who were organized in hierarchical societies. Since its inception
Carribean archaeology has used population as an important variable
in explaining many social, political, and economic processes such
as migration, changes in subsistence systems, and the development
of institutionalized social stratification. In Caribbean
Paleodemography, L. Antonio Curet argues that population has been
used casually by Caribbean archaeologists and proposes more
rigorous and promising ways in which demographic factors can be
incorporated in our modeling of past human behavior. He analyzes a
number of demographic Issues in Island archaeology at various
levels of analysis, including inter- and intra-island migration,
carrying capacity, population structures, variables in prehistory,
cultural changes, and the relationship with material culture and
social development. With this work, Curet brings together the
diverse theories on Greater Antilles island populations and the
social and political forces governing their growth and migration.
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