Dialogues in Cuban Archaeology

8. Mythical Expressions in the Ceramic Art of Agricultural Groups in the Prehistoric Antilles

When the archaeology of Cuba reoriented its perspective in the 1960s to the methodological and conceptual foundations of historical materialism, the priority of research became knowledge of the socioeconomic and general infrastructural processes of our indigenous communities. It was not until the 1980s that investigations of the superstructural sphere were de¤nitively revived. In my case, motivated by the works of Arrom (1975), López Baralt (1977), Alegría (1978), Dacal Moure (1972), Guarch Delmonte and Rodríguez Cullel (1980), García Arévalo (1989), Rives (1985), Guarch Delmonte (1987), and other authors, I wanted to explore the artistic/mythical milieu with the purpose of going beyond the simple effort to associate common ¤gurative images with the mythic zemies, individuals, and animals appearing in the relations of Friar Pané (1990 [1498]) from Hispaniola. Going beyond the description of traditions and the unreliable interpretations of historical observers, I became interested in investigating the abstract or geometric expressions of higher complexity. This inevitably led to approaching the semiotics of artistic forms, to consider them as carriers of information through the use of symbols and systems of symbols. Beginning this kind of endeavor required at least an elementary theoretical preparation through the works of Saussure (1973), Eco (1972), Lévi-Strauss (1970), and other authors. The history of my work on this topic, presented here, represents only the beginning of a long-term research project. 8 / Mythical Expressions in the Ceramic Art of Agricultural Groups in the Prehistoric Antilles Pedro Godo THE TURTLE: THE FEMALE AND MOTHER OF HUMANITY My ¤rst entry into this research brought me to the topic of the mythical turtle materialized in the ceramics of El Morrillo (Godo 1985), a well-excavated, late-period site in western Cuba (a.d. 1360) (Payarés 1980). The lack of incising on the rims or shoulder panels of ceramic vessels was distinctive in this collection, composed of thousands of ceramic fragments, including 3,885 sherds from nondisturbed areas (24 m2 and an average depth of 0.45 m). Among the modeled handles, only six examples re-created the traditional zoomorphic images (frogs, bats, and turtles), and no sign of anthropomorphism was observed. However, of a total of 54 handles collected in the site, 63 percent were distinguished by their curved forms and their tendency to project toward the center or the ends of the vessels. One specimen was key for the reconstruction of what I have suggested to be a series of ¤gures representing the turtle theme (Figure 8.1a). In the center portion of the handle appears a head, out from which project some lateral appendages reinforced by incised linear decorations that may represent the front extremities of the animal. In other examples, the head of the turtle seems to have disappeared while the handle maintains its projections and a general structure (Figures 8.1b–h). Their numeric dominance over other types of handles corresponds to a strong synthesis, resembling types such as the coil or cleat lug handles (Figure 8.2) identi¤ed by Rouse (1942) and the Cuban archaeologists of the Grupo Guamá (Junta Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología 1951; see also Dacal Moure, Chapter 2, and Berman et al., Chapter 3). Clearly, the turtle element was identi¤able in pieces with non¤gurative forms and held a special place in the particular context of El Morrillo pottery. It is the most popular theme in the ceramics of this coastal site, where agriculture was signi¤cantly supplemented by the marine economy, particularly through a large consumption of Chelonias or sea turtles. Although a thorough faunal analysis has not been conducted, the excavation reports mention the presence of large quantities of sea turtle remains, third only to the amount of sea shells and jutías (a large native rodent). During the excavations, Payarés (1980) observed this pattern throughout the archaeological deposits. Sea turtles appear to have contributed a larger biomass to the diet than any other faunal species recovered from the site. Therefore, the turtle did not represent a protected or taboo ¤gure but perhaps a community emblem of group self-identi¤cation. In the last few years, I have extended the results of El Morrillo to the study 148 / Godo 8.1. Examples of turtle theme handles from El Morrillo 8.2. Syncretism of the coil handle and turtle theme from El Morrillo of collections from ¤ve other sites from central and eastern Cuba...