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aboriginal character than any other region of the americas the, total extirpation of the islands' population shortly after the conquest and the. Subsequent repopulation of the area by black slaves made any carryover of indian cultural expressions impossible for this reason the residents of those islands rarely feel any sense of relationship to, the ancestral inhabitants certainly it is true that the average non indian has no, understanding of the wealth of arts that were to be found there. In the past the delicate, wood carvings, textiles featherwork and related perishable objects that are known from references, in spanish accounts to have existed have largely disappeared only a few wood carvings and a small number of shell and bone carvings are known the great strength of surviving prehistoric art from the area is in stone and attack in this medium there are remarkably sophisticated powerful works small tripointed carvings that were often human or zoomorphic in form represented the spirits zemi of the land the taino culture, is. Famous for these zemi carvings which are found in many of the islands notably puerto rico, and hispaniola carved stone. Pestles with human and, animal designs are also common along with strange stone collars —oval carvings that may be related to the yugos of mexico and guatemala the most prevalent form however, is the human head often a death's head which suggests a culture preoccupied with mortality the peoples, of this area were also fascinated by odd shapes in stone unusual comma realism stones the meaning of which—if they had, any—scholars have been unable to discover have been found scattered throughout the antilles their number and the care and skill with which they were. Carved suggest that they had. An important role in the culture although the taino are. Thought to have surpassed the other peoples of the west indies in aesthetic development examples of later artistic forms and techniques characteristic of the arawak carib and related tribes still surviving in neighbouring south america may provide a link between ancient and modern since, the taino were a division of the arawak so may modern arawak weaving indicate something of what must have existed among the prehistoric, taino the trans caribbean sea route from the islands to the mainland. Obviously carried cultural. Influences as well as materials back and forth but far too little is known about these influences to be able to determine which area the islands or, the mainland was most affected as a consequence little more, is known about the west indies civilization other than that it produced extremely successful sculpture the civilization itself, disappeared so rapidly and completely that one can. Only admire but not wholly comprehend it regional style south america colombia ecuador and brazil the greatest single problem. In assessing the indian art of this region is the unfortunate historical tendency to lump everything together under the heading inca as though no other culture had ever attained significance in point of fact when one undertakes to examine the continent, critically. It is evident that the incas were among the least aesthetically remarkable of the various peoples of south america almost all, of whom attained artistic levels! That were, only occasionally equaled by the latecomers it is probably only in the architectural use of stone and in the textile arts that the incas held their own in artistic comparison weaving was one of the three arts! That were south. American strengths the two others being metalwork and pottery no other peoples in the western hemisphere—and less than a handful elsewhere in the world—came close to equaling the aesthetic and technical accomplishment of the peruvian weaver one can imagine, the astonishment of the early spanish explorers when they saw this radiant clothing for the oil paintings first time even though they very soon passed it over for the gold they coveted metalwork was at its zenith. In peru colombia and ecuador each of which developed major cultures. Whose arts were equal to the. Demands of the raw material tairona gold in colombia rates very high in design and craftsmanship as does the work of the quimbaya whose skill in creating polished metal? Flasks is remarkable notable also is. Sinú casting which could execute works weighing several pounds in ecuador the goldwork found at la tolita is legendary and shows a skill in casting and! Overlay that did not seem to exist elsewhere in the region in peru most surviving goldwork was created by the chimú and nazca peoples yet that this was a well advanced art as early as the chavín era is demonstrated by major discoveries at chongoyape, indeed these pieces seem to be the earliest gold products in america having! Been created about – bc perhaps the art that was, most! Widespread and had the greatest variety of form is pottery in, the exciting range of imaginative forms exuberant vessels are found side by side with sombre formal works the use of brilliant colour is common. And the degree of careful modeling makes of many of these pottery containers veritable sculptural masterpieces a popular material stone was used throughout most of south america for massive forms. The small delicately traced stone carvings found in central america are, rarely encountered south of that region architecturally, the incas surpassed! All others in their use of intricately cut giant size stone blocks at the. Sites of machu picchu sacsahuamán and ollantaytambo only in san agustín in colombia was there a similar monumental use of stone in manabí in ecuador blocks of stone were skillfully drawings carved into thrones and huge seats none of this south american stonework however reflects the degree of skill common in mexico, colombia colombia is among the first south american. Regions to have enjoyed, settlement a pre pottery indian. Culture is known to have come into the region about bc and puerto hormiga excavations reveal that a pottery making culture existed as early as bc the more definite cultural expressions however are not found in quantity until san agustín which came into existence with the advent of the christian era little pottery has been recovered from the region as yet but stone carvings are very well known two later cultures north of this site which have yielded a more generous quantity of art objects are calima known for its goldwork and quimbaya whose. Gold and pottery are both important cultural indicators since the southern and eastern regions of the country are almost unknown archaeologically conclusive evidence is absent but at the moment it does not appear that their prehistory was artistically rich early pre pottery sites have been found notably at el jobo in falcón that date, to about bc carved stone was used for such. Objects as small pendants or fetishes shell and bone are also known to have been used it is certain that this was a contact point with many of the, antillean peoples and that travel back and forth between the two regions was a regular custom columbus reported such trade—which seems to have been a longtime practice—at the time of his arrival ecuador it is to ecuador that one must turn for an examination of early art forms straddling the equator as the name implies this region—today the smallest republic in south america—is one of the most intriguing on the continent for decades the region had been ignored by scholars in. Favour of the more glamorous peruvian area but in recent years its tremendous antiquity has begun to be recognized it now seems that ancient man may have established his first foothold in ecuador and that the region is also. The site of the earliest datable pottery from perhaps as early as bc until about bc when pottery was deco known to exist. At valdivia there was a long steady period of development in the region and the development was not spotty for the population increase was also constant although the great cities and some of the, major cultural activities found farther south were not found in ecuador there was nevertheless considerable cultural accomplishment. Weaving was done in quantity. As evidenced by spanish accounts, and more spectacularly goldsmithing was a major expression, of the artist's skill large pieces such as crowns and breastplates and tiny miniatures reflecting the sureness of a master's hand have been found none of these pieces is unique they are known in sufficient quantity to prove the existence of a long time craft literally hundreds of thousands of tiny gold. Beads. Each cast individually have been found in the sands, of la tolita and others slightly larger with granulated surfaces indicating the mastery of a complex casting process have also been recovered the technique of inlaying had also been mastered and the use of emeralds paintings and other, gemstones as settings was commonplace platinum was worked as in colombia not only was it cast but it also was frequently used in combination with other metals copper too was worked both in its pure form and combined with tin. To make bronze occasionally it was gilded to create a pseudo gold finish heavy cast copper axes, were stock in trade and many smaller objects were turned out in quantity the pottery, that emerged from the hands of the clay workers was of high quality beautifully designed and well finished modeling was powerful and there were touches of humour scholars are not sure to what extent colour was used for time. And, soil have removed much of it modeled clay effigies discovered in at bahía de manta are not only remarkable. For their size and quantity but even more for the astonishing amount of original colour that had been preserved it seems evident that this was photo one of south america's major civilizations and that in time much more will be discovered about it brazil like the archaeology of venezuela little is actually known of the archaeology of the vast, region of brazil only around the, amazon area has very much work been done and there primarily on the ilha de marajó size has hampered much of the effort to unravel prehistory but weather conditions and jungle overgrowth have also combined to resist penetration what is known however is tantalizing to the scholar for at lagoa santa in minas gerais the bones of a human being have been linked with a mammoth slaughtered for food as early as around, bc and pottery vessels have been discovered attesting to. A remarkably advanced civilization in the amazon lowlands perhaps as early as ad but what lies, between these two extremes in time is, yet to be, discovered the most aesthetically exciting object excavated in brazil is, a unique pottery form found on the ilha de marajó and called marajoara which incorporates modeling paintings and. Painting with a low relief carving of the surface several successful expeditions have recovered modest amounts of material but, the island which is regularly flooded by the mouth of the amazon has resisted complete excavation an individual style found on the tiny isle of maracá and another from santarém suggest the illustrations existence in this region of a hodgepodge. Of aesthetic expressions some related some. Alien surprisingly the strong geometric marajoara style seems not to have influenced any of the cultures around it peru and highland bolivia the great civilizations of peru and highland bolivia—with their monolithic stone structures major political, organizations and elaborate material wealth—have long attracted the attention of, the outside world this was the only area where structures, of any real magnitude were built in south, america the ruins of tiwanaku cuzco chan chan and similar well developed urban centres attest to the achievement of highly skilled peoples pottery has been found in, all styles and types from relatively crude wares to the most highly painted and polished masterpieces whistling vessels are, common and the various forms of musical instruments perhaps, exceed those found in other civilizations on the continent. Representations of daily, life on the pottery reflect complete well rounded civilizations. Humans were definitely active in peru as early as bc and pottery making there dates to no later than bc slowly these dates will be pushed back as scholars unravel more and more of prehistory for in view of the advanced stage of some early works it is certain that they will be found to have been preceded by others the great peruvian ruins around chavín de huántar have given the name chavín to one of the most remarkable civilizations in south america—and one of the earliest though it is not certain whether it was coeval with the valdivia of ecuador c bc there remnants famous, throughout the archaeological world have been found of one of america's earliest. Cultures carved stone objects fantastic pottery that demonstrates the, most advanced skills evidences of stone. Construction and remarkably sophisticated goldwork all bear witness to a truly magnificent era in ancient history another discovery has brought, to light evidence of an early civilization at ayabaca in piura northwestern peru that was probably coeval with the chavín, named vicús after the valley in which it was, uncovered and dating between bc and ad this civilization produced pottery that resembles the ware of drawings nearby ecuador and goldwork not unlike other early forms the discovery of this civilization unknown until just a few decades ago suggests the existence of others south of the chavín region another high culture developed around the paracas. Peninsula this civilization produced a famous thin walled pottery and some of the most extraordinary textiles in existence great woven mantles ponchos and small, tapestries were created between and bc, just as, elements from the chavín civilization filtered south to influence the paracas people so they influenced a development, in the north around the. Virú chicama and moche valleys from bc to ad commonly called moche these people developed a mature art form that includes some of the finest, plastic sculpture in the history of pottery the range of designs. Makes these objects, remarkable not only as art but also, as a record of the civilization from which they come the. Extensive number of objects produced suggests that the civilization was an extremely populous one in which power and wealth were. Major goals gradually this civilization gave way to that of invaders the chimú whose capital of chan chan was from ad to one of the great urban centres of. Ancient peru this huge city now largely destroyed once housed persons and produced a spectacular array of artistic works gold, jewelry feather mantles great textiles and considerable work in wood and clay the arid climate has preserved more art from the chimú region than from many other sections and spanish accounts aid, scholars in understanding those artifacts pottery was as skilled as any found elsewhere although by the period under examination something of a paralysis had set in certainly many of the designs have a static quality doubtless owing to the extensive use of molds customer demand must have been so great that the craftsman had to resort to mass production to keep up with his clients in the south. A great pottery talent was at work from c bc to ad around! The nazca valley there perhaps the! Most technically advanced. Potters in south america were producing perfectly formed clay vessels highly fired brilliantly painted fantasy and often intricately fashioned mostly mold made they were turned out in great quantities with the same stiff formality seen in chimú pottery the nazca weavers however succeeded in defeating the mass market for their! Work was devoted to highest quality and their. Skill was such that even though miles of similarly patterned cloth were turned out regularly the repetition did. Not destroy its beauty fantasy concept deco dream landscapes institutein fact the overall patterns so frequently seen provide a harmony that results in a beautiful fabric. There was literally no, weaving process unknown to the, ancient peruvian nazca goldwork seems not to have been up to the standards achieved by other peruvian metalwork by and large it is a listless product having only the material to, recommend it thin hammered sheet gold was commonly used for nazca ornamentation closely related to and extending from the nazca work is the art of the ica civilization ad – these people produced fine textiles the designs of which were often reproduced on the pottery of the area the dry climate has also preserved a wealth of wood carving much of it in such fine condition that the. Quality of the art can be clearly seen in the central peruvian area a group of people emerged built a modest civilization and developed it into a world that was in existence when the spanish arrived the chancay people are not known for great artworks their pottery produced from ad to is a simple black on white ware usually painted in soft colours simply defined and frequently crude, in appearance their one outstanding quality is. Humour many chancay vessels show a lively sense of the absurd almost providing a peruvian comic strip chancay weaving, is excellent and many thousands of surviving examples attest to this, technical pre eminence farther afield in bolivia another major civilization had. Been developing the tiwanaku world its origin and the whole story of its development are not yet fully understood but it is known that it came to exert a tremendous influence over a wide area of south america from ad. To one of its most characteristic qualities was the use of stone—in. Walled cities huge doorways, with intricately carved paneling and. Great paved roads tiwanaku art is a rather angular expression with repetitive rather unoriginal motifs the pottery from this. Site is equally uninspiring although strong in colour it does not show the variety and technical, perfection seen in the wares of the nearby inca and nazca again the great art is weaving it seems that in many cultures the attention devoted to the textile arts far overshadowed that devoted to all of the other arts and so it is with the, tiwanaku who produced ponchos caps pouches and other costume for sale pieces that are instantly recognizable wherever seen. And challenge the contemporary weaver with their variety fantastically tight weave and remarkable richness of colour the inca civilization had begun around ad but the empire itself was not. Established until with the accession of pachacuti inca yupanqui the greatest of the inca rulers with the arrival of the spanish in the empire was at its height but was suffering from a schism that proved fatal in the artis face. Of the, european attack so savage was the spanish invasion that the empire numbering some individuals at its height was left without a head and within a, period of. Thirty years its population had dwindled to part of this legacy is that less art survives from the inca culture than from many of the far older peruvian cultures there are many more tiwanaku ponchos known than those from the inca period for example enough has survived however to enable. Scholars to characterize inca art forms the aryballus globular bottle, for liquids is known the world over, neo-surrealism and stonework was common and of excellent quality silver and gold were no mystery to the inca religious tribute was claimed in the form of worked metal treated as a gift to the sun god indeed it was this very practice that proved the inca's undoing for the spanish treasure seekers abandoned all other, pursuits in their greed for precious metals in due course the inca. Civilization declined to a point where it was little more than a shell as it is today while. Much of the ancient weaving is still an active art there is no pottery of a quality similar to the old. Nor is there the wealth of woodwork stone carving or other crafts products as for goldwork it can safely be said that this art is completely. In the hands of westerners chile and argentina. Farther to the. South as he continued on his long journey past the peruvian and bolivian highlands man crossed the great atacama wasteland into chile and in so doing changed his aesthetic expressions this journey probably took place not much before bc when pottery making people became active in the south however late man came he quickly set up civilizations wandering back and forth over the andes he settled both chile where he was known as! Diaguita and northern argentina where he was known as chalchaquí very soon the institute the peoples of this region developed their own arts some of which are unique they produced fine pottery and strong! Colourful textiles gold was never a major product although copper became an important metal due in part to its prevalence the people cast huge copper disks and plaques and made special burial! Urns for their. Children even reserving cemetery areas in a touching demonstration of affection the period of diaguita settlement covered about years or from about ad to with the extension of the inca empire into the chilean, and argentine regions the ubiquitous aryballus form found its way there as did other similar inca expressions indeed the pottery, forms give a clue as to the presence or absence. Of the inca overlords with the arrival of the, europeans all. Of this changed of all. Of the south, american indian civilizations only in ecuador peru bolivia and chile is there anything like a continuum of native arts and even in these the western. Influence, has been so pervasive as to eradicate all but the most dominant aesthetic characteristics weaving retains more of its ancestry than perhaps any. Other art pottery has taken on much of the western aura woodworking is not at all what it was, in pre columbian times and very little metalwork is done in what can be called prehistoric design although much of the work done today is of highest quality it reflects more of the tastes and needs of the, white man than the indian arts. Of the american indian peoples in the contemporary world in the contemporary art print world american indian. Arts occupy a peripheral role until the last few. Decades the only strong effort to exhibit this art in galleries or museums was made by those few institutions specializing in ethnological exotic or art history subjects together with the rare specialized museum devoted only to indian materials or to those of the american west and in these the usual focus was upon sensational or romantic themes not upon a carefully balanced. Understanding of the subject the most active interest in american indian art. Seems to have been less. In products of still living cultures than in prehistoric arts and. Less in the arts of prehistoric north american peoples than in pre columbian art which is generally understood to mean the works of the so called high civilizations—notably the maya aztec inca and moche this is to be regretted for it not only results in an overemphasis that destroys intellectual balance but it. Also has relegated to the background, some of the more exciting aesthetic accomplishments of the native american the diorite bowl representing a crested wood duck that has been called by some the portland vase of. America is not an isolated instance for there are other fine sculptures equally deserving of attention the reasons for these attitudes are not difficult to discover with the displacement of the indian by the westerner came the rejection of his products other. Than as curiosities of a vanquished people only in the last few decades has there been a, concerted effort to develop an appreciation for art and a concern for the survival of this new world heritage more active efforts to preserve indian art have been made in. The united states than elsewhere the first was in the s when a group of white artists located in and around santa fe new mexico found excitement in the work of the. Indians of the southwest together with the so called taos colony of artists these influential people succeeded in bringing the values of indian art to the attention of the outside world through publications exhibitions and their art, works in which indian design often figured, predominantly in time this group saw to the establishment of a school of indian art in santa fe out of this, school came many of the most familiar names in indian art today oqwa pi jack hokeah awa tsireh pablita velarde andy tsinajinnie allan houser ben, quintana gerónima cruz montoya, eva mirabal and waldo mootzka are but a very few of the students involved during this metropolitan museum of exciting period following an initial. Success the school enjoyed a period of prosperity but then fell victim to the depression another surge of interest came with the enactment of the indian reorganization act of by means of which the indian arts and crafts board came into existence sparked by john collier then commissioner of indian affairs this body is one of the few, governmental organizations set up specifically to promote encourage and revive native arts and crafts while intended largely as an economic device to increase indian income, the board fortunately included members who were knowledgeable about and sensitive to the aesthetic and cultural strengths of the indian a program of exploration. Revealed surprising resilience in native crafts and a core of still active craftspeople who remembered older techniques was engaged to perpetuate their arts out of this program came a renaissance cubism that still continues even after the board has become less influential as the native artist more and more finds himself in his art what promises to become, the major factor influencing indian art is the institute of american indian arts in santa fe new mexico an outgrowth of the early interest of the indian. Arts and crafts board in assisting young indian artists to secure needed training stimulated by these developments the interest of art museums and collectors in native art! Brought home to the general public the existence of a remarkable if overlooked art form today a growing interest in indian cultural expression is found among north american indians wallpaper themselves as they seek their rightful place in |