Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

Aboriginal Indian Remains in Jamaica by J. E. Duerden / 277
Fig. XV. Quartz
ornament, from
Cranbrook.
Fig. XVI. Perforated spindle-shaped
stone, “sinker,” from Vere.
green, symmetrically arranged, with large white stones at intervals,
and connected in front by a large jewel of gold. Two
plates of gold were suspended to his ears by rings of very small
green stones. To a necklace of white beads, of a kind deemed
precious by them, was suspended a large plate, in the form
of a fleur- de- lys, of guanin, an inferior species of gold; and
a girdle of variegated stones, similar to those around his head,
completed his regal decorations. His wife was adorned in a
similar manner, having also a very small apron of cotton, and
bands of the same round her arms and legs. The daughters
were without ornaments, excepting the eldest and handsomest
who had a girdle of small stones, from which
was suspended a tablet, the size of an ivy leaf,
composed of various coloured stones, embroidered
on network of cotton.”
It is recorded that Columbus received from
the Haytians on one occasion 605 pieces of
jewelry of various colours. “Among the 605
pieces of jewelry were eight strings of small
beads made of white, green and red stones,
one string of gold beads, one regal crown of
gold.” (1887, p. 276).
A perforated cylinder or bead from Bar-
[48]bados, lent to the Exhibition by the Rev.
T. W. Bindley, is 2 1/4 inches in length, and
perforated right through by a hole about 3/4
of an inch in diameter.
The small piece of worked quartz, represented
in Figure XV, was found by Mr. Townend
in the refuse- heaps at Cranbrook (p. 20).
It resembles the centra of two contiguous vertebrae,
and is, no doubt, to be regarded as an
ornament.
The object shown in Figure XVI, and obtained
from Vere deposits (p. 15), is generally
regarded as a “sinker” for fishing apparatus,
the perforation enabling it to be suspended.