Photo Credits: Museo Histórico de la Costa Caribe del Centro de Investigaciones de la Costa Caribe-Atlántica de Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (CIDCCA-BICU)
Display Title: Zoomorphic Ceramic Support
Object Number: MCB-07-06
Digital Number: TCISVM-0013
Material Type: Ceramic
Dimensions:
Length: 32.6 mm
Width: 30.3 mm
Height: 45.5 mm
Weight: 33.1g
Time Period: Pre-colonial
Provenance: Little Corn Island
Donor: William Hodgson
Location: Museo Histórico de la Costa Caribe CIDCCA-BICU
Accession Date: 2014
Description:
Zoomorphic ceramic support likely depicting a West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) or other type of mammal. The center of the support is solid. The exterior is decorated with five circular appliquéd buttons in the form of a quincunx, two circular lateral perforations forming the “eyes” and two parallel diagonal incised lines above each eye that converge at the center button and continue vertically along the “snout” in the form of a “Y”. The tip of the muzzle is convex and would have served as the zone of support for a tripodal vessel alongside two additional supports. The surface of the ceramic is untreated and presents the natural reddish-brown color of the clay baked in an oxidizing environment.
The quincunx pattern resembles that found in the pre-Hispanic iconography of neighboring regions such as the nahui ollin in Mesoamerica and the chakana in the Andes. In Indigenous Mesoamerican cosmologies, the nahui ollin—meaning “four movement” in Nahuatl—alludes to the conception of the universe, time, and space. The four directions of the universe depart from the center, which represents the meeting point between the heavens and the earth. Similarly, in Indigenous Andean cosmologies, the “Andean cross” or chakana—meaning “bridge” or “to cross over” in Quechua—alludes to the conception of the circularity of the universe, time, and space. The motif represents the four cardinal directions.
Additional Photos:
Photo Credits: Left image by the Museo Histórico de la Costa Caribe del Centro de Investigaciones de la Costa Caribe-Atlántica de Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (CIDCCA-BICU); Center and right images by Cristian Figueroa.