This thesis describes the practices used in Saladoid and Taíno medicine with the use of historical accounts, specifically from Hispaniola, and uncovers other plants that were employed in medicinal...Show moreThis thesis describes the practices used in Saladoid and Taíno medicine with the use of historical accounts, specifically from Hispaniola, and uncovers other plants that were employed in medicinal context with the use of ethnoarchaeology. Taíno traditional medicine was in part practiced by shamans, working with hallucinogenic plants, and in part by housewives, preparing herbal remedies. The shamanistic medicine is described in detail by Spanish chroniclers and was a common feature of Taíno cultures. The plants used in this context were cohoba (Anadenanthera peregrina), a strong kind of tobacco (güeyo), and an energizing and hunger suppressing herb called digo, which may or may not have been coca (Erythroxylum coca). Hardly anything, however, is accounted on domestic medicine and, therefore, the last chapter applies ethnoarchaeology to modern herbal medicine in the Caribbean, in search of plants of which the use could date back to prehistory. Nine plants that were used by the Ostionoid and Saladoid peoples and are currently employed as medicine in the Caribbean are studied. These are: West Indian elm (Guazuma ulmifolica), monkey pistol (Hura Crepitans), cf. soursop (Annona muricata), cassava (Manihot esculenta), genip (Melicoccus bijugatus), red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), maize (Zea mays), guava (Psidium guajava) and red pepper (Capsicum sp.). The last two have such a widespread and significant use that they were relatively certainly used as medicine as early as prehistory. Another discovery is the identification of a gum used for stomach problems by the Taíno, which was the gum of mesquite, (Prosopis juliflora).Show less
In this thesis the results of a cannon and anchor survey on the Caribbean island St. Eustatius are presented and discussed. St. Eustatius was an extremely busy port during the latter half of the...Show moreIn this thesis the results of a cannon and anchor survey on the Caribbean island St. Eustatius are presented and discussed. St. Eustatius was an extremely busy port during the latter half of the eighteenth century, and changed hands 22 times in the span of 180 years. To provide a framework in which these objects can be placed, an outline of the history of St. Eustatius as well as a general introduction to cannon and anchors are given. It was found that the French, Dutch, and English anchors encountered during our survey are indicators of the flourishing economy on St. Eustatius during the late eighteenth century. The cannon are particularly revealing, in that they can reveal a lot about the military history of the island. There was found to be a great variety of cannon on the island, ranging from the smallest calibers to 24-pounders, and from Norwegian to Spanish manufacture. These guns were cast in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Besides general conclusions, a detailed analysis of the various forts and their guns is given. Some suggestions for the management of these artifacts are made as well.Show less
Caribbean archaeology is home to a variety of unsolved mysteries that still need to be solved. One of these mysteries concerns the subject of pre-Columbian ceramic stamps, better known as ‘body...Show moreCaribbean archaeology is home to a variety of unsolved mysteries that still need to be solved. One of these mysteries concerns the subject of pre-Columbian ceramic stamps, better known as ‘body stamps’, which have been primarily related to body painting in previous works. Archaeological and anthropological investigations dealing with the tropical lowlands of South America and the Caribbean have been carried out since the early 1900s. What has come to my attention is the lack of research that has been carried out on the topic of body painting and ceramic stamps. This thesis aims to enhance our general knowledge about the relationship between ceramic stamps in the Caribbean and the practice of body painting among contemporary Amerindian societies in the tropical lowlands of South America. Methods used in this thesis to reach this aim consist of: (1) gathering of as many photographs of stamps as possible for comparative reasons, (2) analyzing the available ethnographical and ethno-historical information to support the archaeological data, and (3) using the South American Lowland traditions to make an analogy for the practice of body painting in the Caribbean. The use of these methods brings us to several conclusions concerning the relationship between ceramic stamps and body painting. Firstly, ethno-historical sources confirm the practice of body painting in the Caribbean. Secondly, ethnographical research carried out by Kaplan and Overing (1980), brings forward the contemporary use of wooden stamps among the Piaroa, which can be used to make a hypothesis about the function of ceramic stamps in the Caribbean. Thirdly, by analyzing the stylistic traits and their chronological context, we can determine that the ceramic stamps of the Caribbean were presumably related to the roller stamps of the Middle Orinoco belonging to the Arauquinoid pottery tradition. Lastly, by analyzing the stamp motifs and their relation to Amerindian mythology described by early ethnographers, we can determine whether these stamps played a role in the Amerindian worldview.Show less
In Guyana wordt een bepaald soort sjamanisme toegepast. Deze vorm van sjamanisme heeft als kenmerk dat hij samengaat met veel geweld. De sjamaan (in de plaatselijke taal Kanaima genoemd)...Show moreIn Guyana wordt een bepaald soort sjamanisme toegepast. Deze vorm van sjamanisme heeft als kenmerk dat hij samengaat met veel geweld. De sjamaan (in de plaatselijke taal Kanaima genoemd) achtervolgt het slachtoffer om hem of haar na een bepaalde tijd ritueel te doden. Om er achter te komen wat er allemaal komt kijken bij dit soort gedrag, moeten we ingaan op een aantal psychologische kenmerken. Aan de hand van vijf onderwerpen (te weten morele overweging, sociale motivatie, het doelwit, de uitvoerende en de herkomst van de magische kracht) wordt een beeld geschetst van deze vorm van sjamanisme. Het model wordt ten eerste toegepast op twee relevante studies ter vergelijking. Hierdoor kunnen we het model in werking zien. Hierna wordt het model toegepast op Kanaima. Als laatste worden de verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen Kanaima en de twee andere studies naast elkaar gehouden om eventuele blinde vlekken in te vullen die bij zullen dragen aan beantwoording van de vragen “ Wat is Kanaima?”, “Wie is Kanaima” en “Waarom bestaat Kanaima?”.Show less
