Number 30 - South American Explorers

16 SOUTH AMERICAN EXPLORER
no written records of the people of pre-Colombian
South America. Even if there were, chances are the
questions we would ask would find no answers. All we
have is their art—their statement of beliefs and values—up
to us to read if we can . Trying to read it
provides many delightful Hours for those hooked on
pre-Colombian Art.
rcheology helps. The careful methods
used by archaeologists as they open
trenches to recover evidence of the
lives of ancient peoples have clarified
many unknowns at out early man in the
Americas. But the evidence brougnt to light raises additional
questions. Our increasing understanding usually
keeps uneasy step with a growing awareness of our
own ignorance.
Colombia is unusually fortunate to have several
prominent archaeologists willing to consider contemporary
Indian sources and what is called ethnographic
material to supplement excavation data. This doesn't
happen too often' in archeology. Many professionals are
not open to possibilities of interpretation other than
"plain dirt archeology," although this is changing.
It is clear, however, that native shamanistic, mythological,
and religious references, both contemporary
and colonial, have much to contribute to the interpretation
of the cultural, meaning of pre-Colombian Art.
And, there has been enough scientific investigation in
Colombia to confirm its astonishingly rich diversity of
peoples and cultures during its hundreds, even thousands,
of years of history.
Still, it may come as a surprise that the oldest ceramics
found in the western hemisphere come from Colombia
and Ecuador. These date back to 3,500-3,900 B.C.,
depending on which scholar's chnnology you accept.
Colombia and Ecuador? What unlikely places, especially
since most of the academic community has stoutly
maintained for the last half-century that early man arrived
in the Americas by following animal herds across
the ice or over a land bridge which once stretched across
the Bering Straits. (There is not enough evidence to
convince scholars that Pacific crossings were made.)
So, how did early man penetrate into the coastal
areas of South America without leaving some tangible
trail of his passing on the way? The answer to this
question has sent anthropologists and others off on a
grand scramble. Part of the answer might lie in rising sea
levels which flooded and erased ancient campsites on
the shores of North America. Then too, ice sheets may
have destroyed the traces. Other scholars theorize that
hunters crossed the narrow strips of land in Central
America and from there followed the river systems of
both continents. Of course, we may simply not have
found their trail yet.
It is generally believed that by 7,000 B.C. man in the
Americas gradually abandoned hunting and gathering
and settled down, relying for sustenance more on shellfish,
plants, and small animals in localized areas. When
man learned to make fire-hardened clay vessels for
cooking and storage, he overcame a major cause of
hunger and want. From then on, he left an indelible trail
of refuse heaps, graves, and food caches for the archaeologist
to follow, an enduring trail of broken pottery,
shards dear to the hearts of all students of early history.
Ceramics, precious from the very beginning, were
found in graves with the most cherished possessions of
the people. As potting and modeling improved, craftsmen
pictured themselves and their deities in clay. We
look at these creations today with amazement, speculating
on symbols and subject matter, admiring the skill
and the sophisticated artistry of many of the pieces.
Some, of course, are better than others. Quality is uneven.
We can't be sure when art'production became
specialized in early communities, but it must have been
obvious from the start that some people were better at
it than others. Specialization probably set in fairly early
with artists trading their work for food or weapons. A
few created masterpieces, and these are what we will see
in a museum if we are lucky—or the museum is. Masterpieces
in pre-Colombian art are as rare as masterpieces
in other kinds of art. There just aren't very many,
although there are numerous examples of good art and
very fine pieces do turn up occasionally.
Pre-Colombian art in our day is finally coming into
its own—viewed as an art form rather than a craft of
only anthropological interest. Part of this change in
attitude comes from exposure. There are more pieces
to look at now, more books to read, more articles written,
and more travellers to South America where there
is growing pride among the people in their heritage.
I have a friend Nancy, in Houston, who occasionally
comes to visit. When I take her around the pre-Colom-
RIGHT, Quimbaya two-faced urn lid, A.D. 1200-1500,
Magdalena River Valley, Colombia. Gift of Mr. & Mrs.
Cedric Marks to the Denver Art Museum.