A Bat-Shaped Vomit Spatula
We haven’t talked to each other in a while as we were busy exploring over the summer. After we are done catching up, we descend into some of the darker depths of the pre-colonial past and go batsh*t crazy over this carved, manatee bone object. But what does this batty object have to do with the ghosts of the dead, vomit, spiritual assaults, and archaeologists running away screaming like little girls? Find out in this spooohoooky Halloween episode!
To look at while you listen to us:
Front of the bat-shaped spatula in Taíno: Pre-Columbian Art and Culture (Bercht et al. 1997)
Front of the bat-shaped spatula in Taíno: Pre-Columbian Art and Culture (Bercht et al. 1997)
The common fruit bat, which is common (haha!) in many parts of the Caribbean main- and islands (photo by Tobusaru, through Wikipedia)
Further information:
- A website with information on the Sala de Arte Prehispánico – Fundación García Arévalo, where this artefact is displayed.
- Bats are one of the most diverse orders of mammals in the Caribbean. This is a Wikipedia list of all the bats per island.
- A badly photographed, but rare PDF of Juan José Arrom’s Mitología y Artes Prehispánicas de las Antillas.
- A paper by Angus on the opía or, as the Kalinago called it opouyem.
- Guardian article on the archaeological research ongoing at Mona Island, which includes venturing into bat- and (pre-)historic art-rife caves.
- A great National Geographic documentary on what amazing little creatures bats are and another one that explains just how silly we are to even think of them as scary.
As always thank you for listening and please share this podcast with friends, family and general fans of vomit-inducing objects. Have some ideas of your own about how horrific episodes of the Caribbean post?Or just want to wish a happy Halloween? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @theshoresoftime. Also tell us what you think of the podcast and how we can improve the way we share these stories of the Caribbean and its objects. We are also always on the lookout for new objects and their stories, so if you have something to share, from the modern Caribbean to PaleoIndian times, don’t hesitate to contact us.
We will be back with a hopefully equally exciting but less dark episode before too long. We’ll talk to you then, but for now remember: In this great future you can’t forget your past!
Acknowledgements: This podcast was made possible thanks to financial support by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Alice is employed by University of Leicester’s School of Ancient History and Archaeology and Angus works at Stanford University’s Archaeology Center.
