Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia: Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188Holmes, William Henry
History
Ancient art of the province of Chiriqui, Colombia: Sixth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1884-1885, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1888, pages 3-188
Holmes, William Henry
Chiriquí (Panama : Province) -- Antiquities; Indian pottery -- Panama; Indians of Central America -- Panama
An additional example is given in Fig. 23. The shaft is cylindrical and
terminates in a conical point at one end and in a very narrow, abrupt,
cutting edge at the other. The whole surface is polished. The material
is the same dark tufa.
The class of objects illustrated in this and the two preceding cuts
comprises but a small percentage of the chisel-like implements.
_Spearheads (?)._--Another class of objects made of the same fine
grained, slaty looking tufa is illustrated in Fig. 24. They resemble
spearpoints, yet may have been devoted to a wholly different use. They
are long, leaf-like flakes, triangular in section, slightly worked down
by flaking, sharpened by grinding at the point, and slightly notched at
the top, perhaps for hafting.
_Arrowpoints._--The unique character of the arrowpoints of Chiriqui is
already known to archæologists. The most striking feature is the
triangular section presented in nearly all cases and shown in the
figures (Fig. 25). The workmanship is extremely rude. The material is
generally a flinty jasper of reddish and yellowish hues. The number
found is comparatively small. The specimens given are of average size.
[Illustration: Fig. 25. Arrowpoints of jasper--1/1.]
_Ornaments._--It would seem from a study of our collections that
ornaments of stone were seldom used by the inhabitants of Chiriqui.
There are a few medium sized beads of agate and one pendant of dark
greenish stone rudely shaped to resemble a human head. Ornaments of gold
and copper were evidently much preferred.
[Footnote 8: I am indebted to Mr. J. S. Diller, of the United
States Geological Survey, for the determination of the species of
stone in this series of objects.]
[Footnote 9: Seemann: Voy. Herald, Vol. I, p. 312.]
[Footnote 10: A. de Zeltner: Notes sur les sépultures indiennes du
département de Chiriqui.]
[Footnote 11: Seemann: Voy. Herald, Vol. I, p. 313.]
[Footnote 12: Cullen’s Darien, p. 38.]
[Footnote 13: A. De Zeltner: Notes sur les sépultures indiennes,
p. 7.]
METAL.
GOLD AND COPPER.
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