Times of the Islands Fall 2020

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
ers. This should not be surprising: it was on Long Island,
The Bahamas that the Spaniards first saw woven cotton
hammocks and people wearing cotton ornaments;
clearly, cotton was ubiquitous, and in regular use in the
region.
When Columbus travelled on to Cuba and Hispaniola,
he found hammocks and other woven goods were brought
out for exchange, and heavily beaded, ornate belts were
given to him as gifts (Ostapkowicz, 2013). It is likely
that cotton had a standard value across the region—recognised
by all indigenous groups as something useful
and esteemed. And while the Spanish recorded cotton
goods, they unfortunately did not record how they were
made. Given the size of hammocks, some type of loom
was likely used, and as no complete looms survive from
the pre-Columbian Caribbean, we must rely on evidence
In “The Weavers,” an elder sits by the side of the bohio (house) weaving a hammock in the company of her granddaughter, who is spinning new
cotton twine. They’ll need much more cotton to complete the hammock, particularly if strands get lost to the play of their pet parrot and dog.
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