Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
THE AACA MAGAZINE Christopher Columbus and New World Explorations Edition
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
Table of Contents
Presidents Message, From The Editor Pg 1 Director Retirements Pg 2 Meet Your New Board Members Pg 3-4 Christopher Columbus and the New World Pg 5-10 The Taino Pg 11-13 The Boat That Opened the New World Pg14-15 In Situ Section Pg 16-23 Animal In Situs Pg 24-30 On the Cover
Editor Steve Stangland Design & Layout by Robert J Dills
This fine group of points were found by AACA member Steve
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
From the President’s Desk Just a quick note to all AACA members to bring everyone up-to-date on some recent minor changes in the wording of the AACA Rules. Rule #4 has been clarified to pertain to all sales, "without exception" in offering the AACA guarantee. There had been some misunderstanding but this should clarify that all sales are covered. Also, Rule #12 has been clarified to apply to the optional eBay private auction/private feedback features, which are not permitted. There had been some question as to this issue. I'd also like to thank all of our members that helped to make Expo 09 in Kentucky another wonderful show. We had almost a full house of exquisite displays and hundreds of interested collectors in attendance. A fine meal of catfish and fixins was enjoyed by members on Saturday night at the Expo. Please put the third weekend in July of 2010 on your calendar for Expo 10! Membership enrollment in our Association continues to steadily grow. A big welcome to all of our new members! Please do not overlook all of the resources on the AACA website that are only available to you by logging on to the site first. There is a lifetime of reading there, plus the Members Forum for continuing conversations and questions. The AACA is here to educate and help collectors of ancient Native American artifacts. Have a fine Fall hunt, Cliff Jackson AACA President
From the Editor’s Desk This issue features articles that concern “Christopher Columbus and New World Explorations.” To be perfectly honest, we had hoped that the membership would send us more articles than what we received. Nevertheless, this issue of the AACA Magazine includes three articles that center around New World explorations. One of the articles has enough length to provide the magazine with plenty of “meat and substance.” If it‟s too much for you to read in one sitting, we encourage you to make several visits! This historically interesting article was written by recently-retired Director Steve Puttera. The next issue will represent more of a “potpourri” of submissions. So those of you who have sent in articles that are not “Christopher Columbus related” will probably see your articles in the next issue of the magazine. Please continue to send us short or medium-length articles about your personal artifact adventures or anything else you might want to write that is related to Native American culture. Because this is an on-line magazine, articles get more attention when they include one or more pictures. Do not forget to take your camera along on your hunting trips. We always need and welcome in situ pictures – as long as they fall into the category of being “above average.” Besides artifact in situs, the present issue includes a section of in situ animal pictures. If this experiment is well received, we will try to continue it. This, of course, relies on you, the membership, to send us pictures of those cute little insects and animals that you capture on film while in the field! Welcome to the fall issue. We hope you enjoy it!
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
DIRECTOR RETIREMENTS Matt Rowe We would like to thank our former Webmaster and Director, Matt Rowe, who retired from his AACA directorship in May of 2009. Matt provided his wisdom and leadership to the AACA for many years. His contributions to the artifact collecting world are much appreciated by many. As Matt is now the curator at the Museum of Native American Artifacts in Bentonville, Arkansas, he certainly has his hands full of wonderful artifacts. We wish him the very best in his future.
Entrance to Museum of Native American Artifacts, Bentonville, Arkansas - Curator: Matt Rowe
Steve Puttera The AACA also thanks Steve Puttera for his service while on the associationâ€&#x;s Board of Directors. It has been a true pleasure to work with him the past several years. Steve has been an avid long-time collector of artifacts from both Ohio and abroad. While Steve goes back to focusing on his collections from Ohio and Costa Rica, we will miss his regular input and wish him well. Director Puttera at the July 2008 AACA Expo in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
Meet Your Three New Directors In the last year several members retired from the service of the AACA Board of Directors. For a number of months the Board has searched for dedicated and qualified collectors who would be willing to spend some of their extra time in furthering the goals of the AACA. The AACA Board of Directors is proud to announce that we have elected three new members to the Board. We are especially delighted that the thirteen-member Board now has two members of the “fairer sex!” The three new Board members are individuals who love the out-of-doors and are especially dedicated to the hobby. Now they want to help in bettering the hobby for YOU our 3200 members. Because they will be working for you, we want you to meet them!
Robert Whalen I'm a life long resident of the Great Lakes state of Michigan. My wife Lori and I have been together for nearly 30 years now and are proud parents of three daughters and grandparents of two grandsons and one granddaughter. Together we operate an on-line artifact business at www.whalens-artifacts.com. As some of you may be aware of, on eBay we operate as “whalens-artifacts.” I began collecting artifacts at a young age when my great grandmother gave me my first arrowhead which she had found as a child. From that day on the interest in Native American artifacts and their history only grew. I must add I'm very lucky to have a wife who enjoys these ancient relics as much as I do! Primarily, I collect hardstone relics but enjoy all types of artifacts from historic to pre-historic. My hobbies are hunting, fishing, landscaping, gardening, and of course relic collecting!
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Kathy Shelton Kathy Shelton was born and raised in western Kentucky. She is happily married with one child and her interests range from cooking to medieval torture devices! Since so much of her life growing up on the family farm included looking at dirt, it was only natural that she developed an interest in some of the things you might find there. She has collected Native American artifacts for the last decade (or so) and is enjoying learning about what she has found. Most days find her in the garden, where she raises food for her family and for sale to others. Kathy looks forward to serving on the AACA Board of Directors.
Aaron Kilander I was born in 1974 and live in northwest Indiana. I have been collecting and going to shows since I was a kid. Because my father was taking me surface hunting in Indiana and cave digging in Missouri since elementary school, I have pretty much grown up around relics and the hobby. Over the years Iâ€&#x;ve been fortunate to meet a lot of good people, see a lot of nice relics, and learn a lot along the way. Nice slate is our primary focus, but we still collect other things, including flint and stone primarily from the Central States area, as well as relics from Florida, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. We also collect some Pre-Columbian items. PG 4
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Christopher Columbus and The New World By Steve Puttera Christoforo Colombo was born in or near Genoa, Italy in 1441 or 1442. He was born into a fairly wellto-do family of weavers and clothiers. From the early 1470â€&#x;s onwards he became engaged in seagoing expeditions, mainly in the Mediterranean, but he made at least one excursion to the far North Atlantic and at least one voyage to the Atlantic coast of tropical Africa. It was during these travels that Columbus learned the basics of navigation. Columbus married the daughter of a nobleman in the late 1470â€&#x;s and a son, Diego, was born to them around 1480 on the Island of Madeira, a Portuguese possession. His wife, Felipa, died in 1485. Another son, Ferdinand, was fathered out of wedlock in 1488. In 1484 Columbus proposed to the king of Portugal his plan to seek the Orient by way of a western voyage, but he received no interest in such a foolhardy scheme and was turned down. He proposed the same plan to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain around 1487 and they finally accepted his proposal in January of 1492, agreeing to all his terms. Columbus went to Palos, Spain, to put together ships and crews for the venture. Here he met the Pinzon family, a prosperous group with considerable local status and maritime experience. They were a great asset in securing his ships and crew. With ninety men, they set sail on August 3, 1492, with Columbus being Admiral of the fleet.
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First Voyage August 3, 1492 to March 15, 1493 Everyone knows that Columbus sailed with three vessels: the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. The Santa Maria, Columbus‟ first flagship, was classed as a “nao” (ship, carrack) and was considerably larger than the other two, which were classed as caravels. The caravels were much swifter and maneuverable than the larger cargo ship, and much better suited for the forthcoming duties around shallow water areas with their less weight and draft. Of the three vessels, the Nina was the Admiral‟s favorite and it is said that during this and two other voyages that he logged 25,000 miles on her. Vincente Yanez Pinzon captained the Nina; his brother, Martin Alonso Pinzon, was the captain of the Pinta. The fleet departed Spain on August 3, 1492. After running south to the Canary Islands, the fleet ran a westerly course until making landfall on October 12 at one of the Bahamian Islands, which the naked inhabitants called “Guanahani.” Columbus named this island “San Salvador.” The trip has taken almost two and a half months. There have been at least ten proposed landfall locations, with no actual proof as to exactly which island it was. Watling Island, Samana Cay, and the Plana Cays are the most likely candidates. Columbus and the captains of the two caravels went ashore on “San Salvador” to find it well populated with native people. Columbus states in his journal that the people all went about naked, but many had their faces and bodies painted in colors of black or red. From his journal entry of Saturday, October 13, he states: “In the early morning many of the islanders came to the beach, all young, as I have said, tall and handsome, their hair not curly but flowing and thick, like horsehair. They are all broader in the forehead and head than any people I have ever seen, with fine large eyes, none of them is black; they are rather the same color as the folk in the Canary Islands.” He also states that many came out to his anchored ships in dugout canoes, some being large enough to carry forty or fifty men; others smaller, with only one man. The Indians of the Bahamas, and indeed all whom Columbus encountered on his first voyage belonged to the so-called “Taino” culture of the Arawak language group. “Taino,” in the native language, meant “good,” “prudent,” or “noble.” Their ancestors had immigrated to the Antilles from the mainland of South America, and within a few centuries of Columbus‟ voyage, had branched out to populate Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas, pushing back or enslaving an earlier and more primitive tribe known as the Siboney. The Tainos were fairly advanced in civilization, growing corn, squash, yams and other roots, making Cassava bread from yucca, spinning and weaving cotton, making a fine brown pottery adorned with grotesque heads, and creating a myriad of various ornaments and utensils of wood and shell. They also created many fine celts and effigy forms from stone.
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They lived in huts made of wooden frames and palm thatch. The broad, low foreheads that Columbus remarked about were due to “cradle boarding,” a process of artificially flattening the skulls of infants, by pressing them between boards. Let it also be said that these people were excellent mariners and powerful swimmers, and exploited all of the marine resources they had at hand. They also supplemented their diet by hunting birds, various reptiles such as iguanas, turtles, snakes and a small forest rodent called a “hutia.” They also raised and ate a small, barkless, domesticated dog. The manatee (sea cow) was easily caught and prized for its meat and fat. The rib bones of the manatee were intricately carved with various designs and were used ceremonially.
Columbus observed that the Tainos lived in large permanent villages in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico, on the coasts and also far inland. Each village was ruled by a chief, or “cacique,” and averaged one to two thousand people. After more island-hopping in the Bahamas, the fleet continued south until they reached the northeastern shore of Cuba on October 28, where they spent nearly a month exploring before heading southeast. On December 5, they reached the large island of Haiti/Santo Domingo, which Columbus named “Hispaniola,” where they explored along its northern shore.The flagship Santa Maria ran aground on a reef on Christmas Eve and foundered the next day. Columbus only had the Nina with him at this time as Martin Alonso and the Pinta had defected nearly a month earlier to do his own exploring. Columbus, with much help from the local Chief, Guacanagari and his people, dismantled the Santa Maria and used the remains to build a fort on shore, which he named “La Navidad” (Christmas). But the tiny Nina, now the Admiral‟s flagship, could not hold all the remaining crew, so Columbus was forced to leave about forty men at La Navidad to await his return from Spain. The Nina departed from La Navidad on January 2, 1493, and continued eastward along the coast of Hispaniola, where on January 6 they sighted and came upon the Pinta. On January 16 the two caravels headed for Spain. Both vessels arrived in Spain two months later after being battered by fierce storms and becoming separated again near the Azores. PG 7
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Second Voyage October, 1493 to March, 1496 After the success of Columbus‟ first voyage, he had little trouble convincing the Spanish Sovereigns to follow up immediately with a second voyage. Unlike the exploratory first voyage, the second voyage was a massive colonization effort, comprised of seventeen ships and around 1200 men. The second voyage brought European livestock (horses, sheep and cattle) to America for the first time. The fleet sailed from Cadiz on September 25, 1493, and left the Canary Islands on October 13, 1493. Hoping to make landfall at Hispaniola where he had left the forty men at La Navidad, Columbus maintained a course of west-southwest the entire voyage and sighted Dominica (an island in the Lesser Antilles) on November 3, just twenty-one days from the Canaries, a remarkably fast trip. He had only missed his destination by about four degrees of latitude, as he came up south and east of Hispaniola. During the next two weeks, the fleet moved northwest, following the chain of the Lesser Antilles, discovering the Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico before arriving at Hispaniola on November 22. Returning to his fortress at La Navidad on November 28, Columbus found that the fort had been burned and all the men he had left there on the first voyage were dead. According to the account of Guacanagari, the local chief who had befriended Columbus on the first voyage, the men at La Navidad had fallen to arguing amongst themselves over women and gold. Some of the men had left the fort in the intervening months and some of the rest had raided an inland tribe and kidnapped their women. The men of that tribe retaliated by destroying La Navidad and killing the few remaining Spaniards. Columbus, much disheartened by what had happened to his colonists, sailed eastward along the north coast of Hispaniola looking for a place to found a new colony. On December 8 he anchored at a good spot and founded a new town he named La Isabela, after the Spanish Queen. The next several months were spent in establishing the colony and exploring the interior of Hispaniola. With men and animals sick and dying, Columbus sent twelve ships back home to Spain on February 2, 1494. With the ships sailed twenty-six Indians, sixty parrots, an assortment of native foods and 30,000 ducats of gold. In April Columbus sailed from Isabela with three of the remaining caravels on an exploration trip. He was still searching for China, which he thought still existed somewhere towards the west. His flagship was now the spirited little Nina, of which he was now half owner. He sailed along the south coast of Cuba, then south to Jamaica where he met up with hostile Indians. He then sailed back to Cuba where he followed the entire southern Cuban coast to almost its western end, where he turned around and headed back towards Hispaniola, this time along its unexplored southern coast on his way back to Isabela. By now it was the end of September and Columbus was seriously ill. Further exploration was abandoned. For the next year and a half Columbus tried to rule the colony, but with little success. La Isabela had turned out to be a bad location, being in a swampy area with few resources and a poor harbor. A summer hurricane had hit Isabela and destroyed three of the four ships in the harbor; only the Nina was left. From the destroyed vessels, a new vessel was constructed, being the first ship to be built in the New World. She was christened “Santa Cruz,” but was nicknamed and known as “India.” As supplies brought from Spain dwindled, and relations with the Indians soured, Columbus decided to return to Spain. Isabela was all but abandoned, and the founding of a new capital, Santo Domingo, on the southeast corner of Hispaniola was begun in 1496-1497. Columbus left Isabela on March 10 with the two caravels, Nina and India, and sighted the coast of Portugal on June 8, 1496, his second voyage complete. PG 8
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Third Voyage 1498 - 1500 Columbus left Spain on May 30, 1498, with six ships, arriving in the Canary Islands June 19. Leaving the Canaries, the fleet split up, with three ships heading directly for Hispaniola with supplies for the colonists. The other three, with Columbus as commander, were on a mission of exploration attempting to find any lands south of the known islands in the Indies. Following a parallel course with the coast of Africa, the Admiral‟s fleet stopped at the Cape Verde Islands on July 1, with his objective being to obtain a deckload of the wild black cattle that lived there. Unsuccessful in obtaining any cattle, he sailed from Cape Verde on July 4, on a southwest course. Soon he found himself in the doldrums, where he could not sail because of lack of winds. Becalmed on July 13 and drifting for eight days, little headway was made. Luckily, the drift was west-southwest; however, with the great heat they experienced, many stores of food and water were spoiled and lost. As prevailing winds returned on July 22, Columbus changed course to due west, and he sailed on a straight line at about the ninth degree of latitude. By July 31 their water supply was very low, and Columbus changed the course northward, towards Dominica, the island he had discovered on his second voyage. Little did he know that another day‟s sail west would have put him in sight of the South American continent. Shortly, an island was sighted to the west. Because of the island having three hills, Columbus named it “Trinidad,” after the Holy Trinity. (Columbus was devoutly religious.) The fleet obtained water on the south coast of Trinidad, and in the process sighted the coast of South America. They explored the Gulf of Paria, which lies between Trinidad and the mainland and anchored at five different locations along the Paria Peninsula. The men going ashore encountered the native population who were well-armed with bows and arrows tipped with poisoned darts. It is doubtful whether Columbus himself ever went ashore here because of his poor health; his eyes were so inflamed from lack of sleep he was nearly blind. On the morning of August 13 the fleet sailed out of the treacherous Gulf of Paria. With his health being so poor, Columbus ordered sail set for Hispaniola, on a northwest by north course. This leg of the journey is a remarkable feat of navigation, as he sailed across six hundred miles of open Caribbean Sea, not following any chain of islands. He arrived at the southern shore of Hispaniola on August 19, 1498, just west of his destination of the new capitol of Santo Domingo. Arriving at Santo Domingo, Columbus discovered that disgruntled colonists had staged a revolt against his rule. He was unable to put down the revolt and eventually agreed to peace on humiliating terms. But the troubles continued and Ferdinand and Isabella appointed Francisco de Bobadilla as Royal Commissioner, with executive power over Columbus. When Bobadilla arrived in Santo Domingo, he immediately had Columbus arrested, and in October of 1500 the Admiral and his two brothers were sent home to Spain in chains.
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Fourth Voyage 1502 – 1504 Upon returning to Spain, Columbus was pardoned by the Sovereigns for any wrongdoings of which he had been accused. Two years later, after being constantly pestered by Columbus, they consented to one more final voyage. At fifty-one years old and in precarious health, Columbus started out on his final voyage on May 11, 1502, leaving Cadiz with four old ships and one hundred forty men. Arriving at Santo Domingo on Hispaniola June 29, 1502, he asked permission to enter the harbor, and he saw signs that a storm was developing. As he was unwelcome he was denied permission. He also warned that a large treasure fleet that was assembling for a return voyage to Spain should not leave the safety of the harbor until the storm had passed. The Admiral was scoffed at, his warnings not heeded, and the fleet was at sea when the hurricane hit. Twenty ships were sunk, nine others limped back to Santo Domingo and only one ship made it back to Spain. Over five hundred men perished, including Columbus‟ enemy Bobadilla. Columbus had found shelter and his fleet survived the hurricane. Columbus sailed southwest from Cuba seeking a “strait” (to the Indian Ocean) that didn‟t exist. He arrived off the coast of Honduras the end of July and met a large dugout canoe with twenty five Indians aboard (probably of Mayan descent). These Indians seemed to be of a much more advanced civilization than any he had previously met, as they had finely dyed and woven cotton garments, copper hatchets and tools. Sailing along the Central American coast, he reached the area of Panama where he learned from the natives of another great ocean a few days journey overland. He was also able to trade for a vast number of gold objects the natives had. Columbus began to build a garrison fort so as to have a headquarters in this goldrich area. A battle with a large force of hostile natives ensued, and Columbus lost a number of men and one ship which was grounded on a sandbar. The three ships, now badly leaking from shipworm damage, headed back north for a return trip to Spain. Losing another ship that was no longer seaworthy, and with the remaining two leaking badly, they sailed on towards Hispaniola, but never made it. The two caravels were beached on the north coast of Jamaica on June 25, 1503. Columbus and his crew were now marooned on the island. Here they stayed for one year and with help from the natives there, were able to survive, but not without much hardship and mutinous men creating new problems. One of Columbus‟ captains, Diego Mendez, bought a canoe from a local chief and somehow was able to sail it from Jamaica to Hispaniola to seek help for the marooned crew. Receiving no help and being detained for seven months, Mendez was finally able to charter a small caravel, which arrived back in Jamaica on June 29, 1504, to rescue the expedition. Columbus finally made it back to Spain on November 7, 1504, his final voyage complete. Columbus never regained his health after returning to Spain. He died in Valladolid, Spain, on May 20, 1506, at the age of 54. Although being the first to discover many new lands, and being hailed as one of the greatest mariners in history, he also managed to wipe out an entire indigenous population. It is estimated that there was a population of 300,000 Taino on Hispaniola in 1492. One-third of them were killed off between 1494 and 1496. The native population had dropped to around 60,000 by 1508. By 1550 it is estimated that there were fewer than 500 Taino remaining. Bibliography: Morison, Samuel Eliot: Admiral of the Ocean Sea, A Life of Christopher Columbus Cummins, John: The Voyage of Christopher Columbus, Columbus’ Own Journal of Discovery Dugard, Martin: The Last Voyage of Columbus Deagan, Kathleen and Jose Maria Cruxent: Columbus’ Outpost Among the Tainos Stanton, Tom: Prehistoric Antiquities Quarterly, May 1998, The Taino: The Indians Discovered by Christopher Columbus Pickering, Keith A: www.columbusnavigation.com
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
The Taino: The Indians Discovered by Christopher Columbus By Tom Stanton (Editor‟s note: This article, in its original form, was a bit lengthy for online purposes. The Editor has shortened it considerably. Nevertheless, it still contains a wealth of information. Pictures have been added to enhance the article‟s “readability.” We hope you enjoy it!) The Taino were the Indians that Columbus encountered when he reached what he thought was India. The Taino civilization was at its peak when the first Europeans arrived. The civilization and the Indians were destroyed in short order by the Spanish. We know a great deal about the Taino because of the dedicated efforts of a number of Spanish chroniclers, mostly clergy. The ancestors of the Taino migrated to the islands from the area of the Orinoco Valley in South America. Taino were found on Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba and most of the Bahamas. They also occupied almost all of the Virgin and Leeward Islands. Columbus observed that the Taino lived in large permanent villages in Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic) and Puerto Rico. Each village was ruled by a Cacique or chief, with villages averaging one to two thousand people. Their wood-and-thatch houses ranged in size from a single building to twenty to fifty. Groups of related families would live together in the same house. Houses had dirt floors and people slept on hammocks. Belongings were stored in baskets hung from the roof and walls. The Cacique and others of high rank received visitors on carved wooden stools called “duhos.”
Side and front views of a duho
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The Taino had local artisans who were woodworkers, potters, cotton weavers, and those who carved and sculpted stone, wood, bone and shell. It is documented historically that many of the most elaborate objects were made by women. Agriculture was the principal occupation of the Tainos, with principal crops being cassava, squash, and sweet potatoes. Cassava was the most important and thrived in a wide range of local conditions, from wet to dry. It could be kept in the ground for up to three years. Many rituals and observances surrounded its planting and harvest. The Taino supplemented their diet by hunting birds, manatee, reptiles such as iguana and snakes, and a small forest rodent called a “hutia.” They also consumed a small domesticated dog and a wide variety of marine life. Excellent seamen and navigators, the Taino manufactured canoes from the trunks of large trees. The trunks were hollowed out by alternately charring and chopping with stone celts. Some canoes were large enough to carry one hundred Taino. Smaller canoes traveled between the islands to maintain trade routes. The Indians lived in communities called “yucayeques” located along the coastline and in interior valleys with river systems. In each yucayeque an upper class of Taino called “Nitainos” ruled over a lower class called “Naborias.” The latter fished, hunted, and worked in the fields. The dominant Nitainos, comprised of Caciques (chiefs), warriors, and artists, exercised authority over the Naborias. Taino society was matrilineal. Status, name and property were inherited from one‟s mother and grandmother. A Cacique‟s predecessor would have been his mother‟s brother and his successor would be his sister‟s son. Caciques were responsible for many things, including religious ceremonies, marriage and death ceremonies of other Caciques, and uniting people after natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. The Taino believed in a supreme god called Yucahu Maorocati, a fertility god named Attabeira, and a number of lesser gods. They made images of these gods from stone, wood, clay, bone and shell. These religious images were called “Zemis,” a term the Taino also used to refer to the gods themselves. The renowned authority on the Taino, Ricardo Alegria stated, “Zemis were objects of great power…. and were perceived as supernatural beings who could help or hurt the person who possessed them. They were kept in special shrines, set apart from the houses of the Taino, and symbolized a Cacique‟s power. Zemis were the most important objects in Taino society, representing social status, political power, fertility and productivity.” Each person had as many as ten Zemis in which they took great pride. Individuals would boast that theirs was the best or the most powerful. Zemis could change hands as an inheritance, gift, or trade item. Owners kept Zemis in niches or on tables in their homes, and sometimes in separate structures which served as temples. Taino Zemi The Taino played a ball game that existed in numerous varieties throughout Mesoamerica and South America. Balls used to play the game were made of rubber. Two teams would play in a plaza with a rectangular court flanked by pillars incised with petroglyphs. The game was both ceremonial and recreational. The ball had to be kept in the air and could only be hit with the legs, hips, arms, shoulders and head (no hands!). There are some documented reports of teams composed only of women. Researcher Ricardo E. Alegria reports that “In Puerto Rico the Taino seem to have worn stone ball game belts, known as collars; these pieces reflect the high development of the Taino‟s lithic technology. Belts were also made of elbow-shaped stones attached to semicircular pieces of carved wood.”
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Stone Ball Game Belt or “Collar”
In addition to the stone Zemis, the Taino used a wide variety of stone artifacts in their everyday life. These included mortars and pestles, metates and manos, and celts. Highly polished and finely made celts and adzes have been found which exhibit no evidence of use, indicating possible ceremonial or trade use among the Taino nobility. The Taino were also superb potters, weavers, and craftsmen with wood, shell and bone. They mined local nuggets of gold and beat them into small plates. The researcher Marcio Veloz Maggiolo observed that “In contrast to stone objects, many of which were plain and clearly intended for everyday use, most shell and bone objects were richly decorated and appear to have had ritual functions. A few objects carved from human bones have been found. The Taino‟s detailed and precise bone-carving technique is matched only by that of Inuit carvers in Alaska.” The Spanish conquest and destruction of the Taino people began in 1494 on Hispaniola and then proceeded to Puerto Rico in 1508, to Jamaica in 1509, and to Cuba in 1510. The Indian population began a rapid decline between 1492 and the early 1500‟s. Hundreds of thousands of Indians lived on Hispaniola before the arrival of Columbus, but by 1509 only sixty thousand remained. The Taino were killed by Spanish weapons and tactics, epidemic diseases brought from Europe, and the enslavement of the Taino on Spanish plantations. However, the Taino legacy lives on in the wonderful artifacts they created and left for us to marvel at. Their legacy is also evidenced in words like barbecue, canoe, hammock, hurricane, and tobacco all terms that have become part of our language.
SOURCES utilized by author Tom Stanton: Tribal Arts, Issue 1, March 1994 The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus by Irving Rouse Pre-Columbian Art and Culture from the Caribbean by Dr. Ricardo Alegria
Pictures from the Wikopedia Encyclopedia
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
The Boat That Opened the New World Knowing a little history that lies at the base of any collector‟s hobby is a good thing! It makes the collector a more knowledgeable individual and contributes to a better personal appreciation of the hobby. Below is a little informational “tidbit” with historical overtones or significance. Perhaps the most recognized historical vessels that opened the New World to exploration would have to be Christopher Columbus‟ three ships - LA NINA, LA PINTA and LA SANTA MARIA. These three ships were not specifically built for exploration; they were very common, but very durable, trading vessels. The Santa Maria, a cargo vessel, sunk in 1492. The Pinta made it back to Spain after the first voyage, but her history has been completely lost. This article focuses on LA NINA. This caravel made several voyages to the New World and became Columbus‟ favorite vessel, Replica of the LaNina at Sea logging some 25,000 miles under his command. He even purchased a half interest in this vessel. It has been 517 years since the Nina‟s first voyage to “America.” Nevertheless, you can still visit and tour her today! There exists an exact, historically correct replica of the ship that has been touring North America for the last 17-18 years! An American engineer and historian by the name of John Sarsfield conceived of the idea and discovered some master ship builders in Brazil who were experts in 15th century ship building techniques. Beginning work in 1988, Brazilian master craftsmen utilized only adzes, axes, hand saws and chisels to build an exact replica of La Nina. By December of 1991 the Nina was a completed project and she departed Brazil for Costa Rica, where she took part in the filming of “1492.” Since the filming of that movie, La Nina has visited over 250 port cities in the U.S. and over 600 ports in the western hemisphere. At the time of this writing in early 2009, the vessel was anchored in San Diego Bay, where your editor had the pleasure of touring her! By the time the reader sees this article, La Nina will probably be making visits somewhere on the East Coast. Watch your local newspaper. Besides visiting port cities located right on the ocean or salt-water bays, the Nina has the ability to travel into the interior of the country by navigating larger rivers. This important little piece of history may be in your area right now! PG 14
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
For those of you who may be boat enthusiasts, here are some of La Nina’s “specs.” Length:
93.6 feet
On deck length:
66 feet
Beam:
17.3 feet
Draft:
7 feet
Sail area:
1919 sq feet
Displacement:
100 tons
La Nina berthed in San Diego Bay in February of 2009
PG 15
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
IN SITU SECTION Teresa Muffoletto is an RN and archaeology student. She says this about the point pictured below: “This is two thirds of a Folsom point with very finely worked edges. Because the bottom third is missing I was unable to note any basal grinding. The stone appears to have been heat treated and may be Narbona Pass chert. I found it on a northeastern downslope in northern New Mexico 30 miles south of the Colorado border near Tres Piedras while working on a research project involving Paleo Indian habitation. It was in a high desert pinon forest where there is an abundance of game and 9000 years ago there was water.”
Here is an outstanding hafted Dickson scraper that was found in July of 2009 by Gary Henson. Gary is originally from Missouri and now lives in Poway, California, a little north and east of San Diego. He goes back to Missouri each summer and often has the opportunity to hunt points while there. As you can see, he pulled this little jewel from an eroding bank. Missouri creeks are so pretty that I couldn‟t resist including a couple shots of the waterway, including the cut bank from which the point was protruding.
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
Steve Nagle found this artifact on June 14, 2009 in Johnson County, Kansas while arrowhead hunting with his son, Tyler. He has typed it as a semi-translucent Hardin.
PG 17
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
Stephen Burks found this 4 1/16 inch Graham Cave nearly buried in the mud on a site near the James River in Greene Co., Missouri. The material is Burlington. The in situ picture was taken right after the point was slightly “nudged� to get a better view of it.
PG 18
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
The points below were found this summer by Steve Valentine and his father, Harold, in Green Township, Franklin Furnace, Ohio. There is a nice, little story that goes with them. Steve Valentine sent in the following in regard to these finds: “Here are a few pictures from a hunt with my father on July 2, 2009. My father is the one who got me started in this hobby around 44 years ago and he hasn't been able to get out and hunt because of bad knees for over 10 years now. He had both knees replaced a while back and I found a field that was relatively flat. I knew he could walk this field so I took him out with me and he found his first point in a very long time- a little Hopewell made from nice Flint Ridge material. I found a nice bifurcate and an archaic side notch point, plus a couple of nice scrapers and a hematite adz.�
A nice little mahogany obsidian Elko point found on private property in central Utah on August 7, 2009, by Dave Kyte.
A nice little mahogany obsidian Elko point found on private property in central Utah on August 7, 2009, by Dave Kyte
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
Rick Tracy found this anciently salvaged anchor pendant on March 31, 2009 in Shelby County, Indiana. He was in a recently plowed field and was hunting his last row of the day when this little treasure popped up! It measures 3 ½ inches in length. Just a few days later, on April 4, 2009, Rick attended the Peru, Indiana Artifact Show and his little gem won the “Best Personal Find Award.” This show is sponsored by the Indiana Archaeological Society, a chapter of the Central States Archaeological Society.
PG 20
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
“The Best Axe I Have Ever Found� By Steve Valentine
What - 3/4 grooved axe made from a greenish-colored porphyry When - December 17, 2008 Where - Tomato field in Miller, Ohio (Lawrence County) Found by - Steve Valentine This is an in situ of a really nice three quarters grooved axe I found on December 17, 2008. My brother had told me that a field we hunt on occasion had just been turned the week before and I was going to be up that way anyway, so I decided to try it. I don't hunt that field much because it's about an hour and a half drive and I have plenty of spots closer to home to hunt, but I had to be up there to get a new ID for work, so I went on over. I hadn't been in the field for 20 minutes when I spotted something greenish-looking about 25 feet away and my first thought was a celt. Imagine my surprise when I walked up on this! I was so excited I actually let out a loud scream. I almost didn't get the picture before I reached down and picked it up, but I gathered my composure and got a closer look. From what I could see, it was all there, as long as it wasn't damaged anywhere else. I snapped the picture and rolled it over and all it had was a small amount of damage on the back side, but it's old usage damage since the patina is the same on the entire piece. Definitely the best Axe I have ever found!
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
On June 4, 2008, Joe Persinger found this beautiful jasper point in a dry river bed in southwest Kansas. Although some would call this an Allen point, Grayson Westfall (Tom's son) & Mike Wilbur (a North Dakota collector/dealer) both saw the point at the Stone Age Fair in Loveland last year and agreed that it is a Goshen. For many, this would be the find of a lifetime! Way to go, Joe!
Joe Ellington of West Portsmouth, Ohio found this excellent blade in the fall of 2008. He found it in a tobacco field in Adams County, Ohio. It measures 2 5/8 inches and is made of Boyle chert. Joe says that the blade appears to have Paleo flaking and what looks like a fluting nipple on the bottom (the area from which a flute would be struck). He does not think that it is an Eva variant, but says that it is probably close to the Eva in time period. The literature is a little unclear as to the time period for Evas, with different “experts� placing ranges that vary from 8000 BP to 3000 BP. This would place the point somewhere in the Archaic time period.
PG 22
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
The in situ of this nice Tecovas jasper Marcos was sent in by Seth and Dee Dee Davis. It was actually found by their hunting buddy, Tody Menix, while they were hunting artifacts on Tody‟s farm in Gaines County, Texas. As you can see the point was buried with the point in the ground. When Tody tried to retrieve the point with his pocket knife, “Ol‟ Mother Earth” resisted a bit!
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
A GALLERY OF ANIMAL IN SITUS Welcome to our second edition of “animal in situs.” Many of the animals were captured on film right on sites or nearby. Some were taken on the way to or from hunting sites.
On the left: “This is one of many Horned Lizards that I have seen while hunting for artifacts. Some Native Americans believe that if you hold one in your hand you will soon find what you are looking for!” Teresa Muffoletto, RN and archaeology student from New Mexico. On the right: John Dillon of San Diego County found this little guy while hunting with your Editor on March 15, 2009. John is somewhat of an expert on lizards and says that this animal is probably two years old. The two “in situs” are being provided to allow the reader to compare the coloration and characteristics of both an adult and a juvenile. Does anyone think these might be different sub-species?
Spotted by the Editor in the middle of a site I was headed for in February 2009!
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
These two little guys are friends of James White. James and his friends all live in the great state of Wyoming
Even though this is a common Gray Tree Frog, it was caught a long way from any trees! It was spotted in a cornfield and photographed by Chris Peters while he was hunting artifacts in Osage County, Missouri on July 4, 2008.
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
The six pictures above were sent in by Frank Beckwith. Frank says this about the critters above: “I have seen all these wonderful things while out hunting. They are all Central Texas - from last year and this year. Thank you for looking at them.�
PG 26
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
Here is what Frank Beckwith has to say about this Texas fox: “There were three foxes playing as I left the midden. This one stopped right in the path. I thought „Man, by time I get out the cam and set it...he would be long gone!‟ But to my surprise he stayed long enough for me to get this picture. He was less then 30 feet from me, but when his buddies yipped for him .... Poof! He was gone..like a grey ghost.” (By the way, Frank uses this picture as his screensaver. The Editor)
A Pair of “Love Bugs and a Great Basin Horned Lizard sent in by Dave Kyte
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
This a well-camouflaged Blunt Nose Leopard Lizard, sent in by Dave Kyte, sure has a long tail! According to fellow collector and “lizard expert” John Dillon, this critter is on the endangered species list, is very fleet of foot, and is very difficult to approach from a short distance. Leopard Lizards are both carnivores and herbivores, thereby making them “omnivores.” They will even eat other lizards! Mr. Kyte says the following: “I don't have a zoom, so I got pretty close to it. I have a calming effect on critters, kinda‟ like Croc Dundee..lol.”
From the great state of Wyoming, James White has sent in a pair of “mulies” and a pronghorn. The mule deer were captured on film in early August of 2009. PG 28
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
This beautiful Zebra Swallowtail was sitting next to a Missouri creek when Gary Henson of Poway, California, captured him with the camera
Nope, not the same butterfly, but also from Missouri and sent in by Chris Peters. Chris says that he photographed this one on top of a bluff overlooking the Missouri River in Osage County, Missouri in June of 2008.
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Volume Number 7 Issue Number 2 Summer/Fall 2009
Chris Peters of Osage County, Missouri, checked with the state biologist and determined that this is a Milk Snake. Here is what Chris said about the snake: “Here‟s a cool snake I saw recently. It was sunning on a county road near our farm. The Milk Snake is a very secretive and rarely seen in the open in Missouri, so I thought it was a pretty cool find. It is considered a mimic of the Coral Snake, but I believe folks who don‟t know might be more likely to mistake it for a Copperhead or other poisonous snake. Luckily it was me that saw it, photographed it, then watched it slither off the road to safety before someone else came along and ran it over. Awesome colors !!” PG 30