Bodily ornaments are a common concept in most societies. In fact, in the precolonial Greater Antilles they were quite elaborate and diverse! Contrary to popular belief, they are not always associated with high status, and most of these ornaments were not found in burials, perhaps suggesting a different meaning. These two shell faces were found at the site of El Cabo, in the Dominican Republic.
Even though shells are quite tough, they are ideal for carving. The shell on the left is quite striking, depicting a human face. It was probably carved out of a mollusc shell, or Lobatus gigas. The shell face on the right is much plainer and more abstract, with only two perforated holes as eyes. This one was carved from a gastropod shell, and judging from its shape it could have very well been an ornament that made noice, known as tinklers.
Photos courtesy of the Caribbean Research Group, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
Archaeologists have looked through microscopes to see how the object was made and if there are any traces of use on the artefact. Once they know how it was made and for what it was used, the archaeologists look where the artefact was found (if it was found near a burial it would have a different meaning than if found at a production site) and the regional availability of materials used formed a certain grouping. These archaeologists have found that these ornaments were produced locally on a small scale, but recurring types were likely imported from bigger production sites, and that ornaments that might look the same could have been used and thrown away differently. All in all, these shell ornaments give a clue as to the people’s involvements in interaction networks or trade.
The peoples of the Caribbean were in constant contact with each other. These shell faces could have taken part in a social network. They were characterised as faces of the living, or Guaizas. Different communities depict them according to their own preferences. But, by exchanging these, one also creates a connection between the exchangers, as they share their type of Guaizas. By taking an approach that looks at these networks, one can really start to see both diversity and homogeneity in the Caribbean. The method of classifying the different types of artefacts, in this case shell faces, shows differences in ideals, social history and communities, but it also highlights their similarities. But how can this connectivity help us? By studying the Indigenous Caribbean trade/exchange networks, we can make connections to modern day connectivity and trade, and help us understand the fundamentals of globalisation better.
Text by Blanca Pesman, based on original published research (see further reading).
Guzzo Falci, C., D.J.M Ngan-Tillard, C.L. Hofman, & A. Van Gijn, 2020. The Biographies of Bodily Ornaments from Indigenous Settlements of the Dominican Republic (AD 800–1600). Latin American Antiquity, 31(1), 180-201.
Mol, A.A.A., 2011. The Gift of the «Face of the Living»: Shell faces as social valuables in the Caribbean Late Ceramic Age. Journal De La Société Des Américanistes, 97(2), 7-43.
Mol, A.A.A., 2014. The Connected Caribbean. Leiden: Sidestone Press.