Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

24 / Chapter 2.
ence of ligatures; the figure has “prominent male genitals, and thin arms
with hands reclining on the chest”; features considered characteristic of
Taíno representations of Baibrama, the deity identified with the cultivation
and consumption of cassava. The eye sockets, ears, and mouth would
probably originally have held inlay, possibly shell or conceivably gold
(cf. Bellevue–White River, A45).
(2) A bird figure with circular table (Aarons 1994:13; Saunders and Gray
1996:Figures 3 and 4) (Appendix 49), 61 cm in height with a maximum
width of 28 cm. Wood identified as lignum vitae (Guaiacum spp.). The
bird is thought possibly to be a pelican. Since the “canopy” in this case is
quite unmistakable, it is likely that this was a table for use in the ceremony
of sniffing cohoba, a powder made from the ground seeds of Anadenanthera
peregrina (Saunders and Gray 1996:807, note 2).
(3) A spoon or scoop with an anthropomorphic handle (Aarons 1994:13;
Saunders and Gray 1996:Figures 6 and 7) (Appendix 50). Seems to be
partly damaged at the base. 15.9 cm in height and 7.7 cm in maximum
width. Wood identified as lignum vitae (Guaiacum spp.). The eyes,
mouth, and ears of the human- headed handle may again have been inlaid.
According to Saunders and Gray, the features are reminiscent of Maquetaurie
Guayaba, the Taíno lord of the underworld. The scoop will again
have been used in connection with a cohoba sniffing ritual, hence all three
artifacts found in this cave may well have been related to this practice.
The first two pieces have radiocarbon age determinations, their uncalibrated
dates being 670 ± 40 b.p. (Beta-153380) and 820 ± 40 b.p. (Beta-153379) respectively
(Manuels 2001).
In 1993 an “Arawak Gallery” with pictographs comparable to those from
Mountain River Cave was discovered at Potoo Hole, part of the Jackson’s Bay
cave complex (Fincham 1997; Fincham and Fincham 1998). The “Arawak
Gallery” lies immediately below entrance #1, at the eastern end of an extensive
cave system, northwest of Jackson’s Bay “old cave” or “water cave” (CC2).
The pictographs occur on a rock face at the base of the vertical pit entrance,
which is 20 m deep. They are therefore in “the dark of the cave.” Today access
is achieved only by the use of specialized caving equipment. It is speculated that
the Potoo Hole painter will have undertaken the hazardous scramble down by
making use of hanging lianas. A preliminary analysis has revealed the presence
of at least 46 pictographs: 18 zoomorphic, seven anthropomorphic, eight geo-