LIAISON ARAWAK-CALIVINY-CARIB BETWEEN GRENADA AND ST.VINCENT, LESSER ANTILLES

Lesley Sutty

The Caliviny ceramic cultural complex has been more or less avoided with regard to its analysis, context, and integration into the peopling of the Lesser Antilles during pre-Columbian times. Until now it has been discussed only briefly and few suggestions have been forthcoming with regard to its origin. Ripley Bullen was perhaps the only worker in the field of this most southern part of the Lesser Antilles to designate a name and reason to this pottery style.

In 1963, Bullen (1968) carried out salvage excavations at Caliviny Island off the south coast of Grenada, and was to unearth a number of ceramics of a style or 'horizon' we were to consider hybrid, unlike the other ceramic traits generally encountered in the Lesser Antilles and designated as Pearls, Simon, and Suazey. One of his most important comments was that the entire site had been much disturbed by land crabs and stratigraphy on the whole difficult, with 'blurring' of profiles, although he considered the relationship with Arawak cultures to be a close one.

The Caliviny ceramics are not really comparable to other ceram­ic styles found in the islands, and few archaeologists have actually been able to study sherds and artifacts at first hand, to make realis­tic comparisons. It is obvious that over a period of time, migrational movement necessitates adaptation and that the ceramics mentioned would accordingly be of a paste and tempering available at the differ­ent sites, together with the composit colorants, geologically evi­dent on Union Island and Carriacou where all of the colour composants used in the decoration of Caliviny ware are to be found: red or sepia, buff yellow, white and black. île de Cailles has Jetsam.

DISTRIBUTION

Caliviny ceramics appear to be restricted in the south to Cali­viny Island, Grenada, and in the north, Pointe-à-Pommes, the most southern point of Martinique and a landfall for navigating Indians. On Barbados, Caliviny ceramics- are reported from the Peak Bay, Sam Lord's Castle, and Chancery Lane sites, where apparently the strat­igraphie positioning of this ceramic is certain. From Savanne Suazey, Grenada,come similar reports. At Ile de Ronde, Dover, and Grand Bay, Carriacou, Miss Pierre and Chatham Pasture, Union Island, we have been able to confirm a similar situation.

The necessary attributes for a ceramic 'horizon' style may be said to exist. In nearly all cases, the sites are intact and have in no way suffered from demographic explosion but more to the contrary. However, erosion by ground swells typical of this area has most probably destroyed the early part of all sites. At Ile de Ronde and Carriacou, there is thick vegetation of guavas on the flat lands adjacent to the habitational areas, a shrub we know to have been originally imported by Arawaks. The integration of Cali­viny ceramics at the sites will be seen as intermediary. In nearly

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all cases the Arawak habitational area is uppermost or further inland, the Caliviny is proportionately concentrated on the lower slopes, and the Carib occupational area is more or less adjacent to the sea. If we accept that Pearls or early Saladoid ceramics existed in the Grena­dines, proof of which exists at Carriacou, Union Island and Mustique, which is an important burial centre - now submerged -the important evidence and more ancient middens are most probably submarine, and have been demolished or disintegrated over a period of 2000 years. The depts are noted to graduate slowly over a distance of about half a mile in most bays adjacent to the sites.

The most important Caliviny sites are Ile de Cailles, Ile de Ronde, Dover, and Grand Bay at Carriacou; Miss Pierre and Chatham Pas­ture, on Union Island.

TYPOLOGY

The earlier Caliviny ceramics are accordingly more finely tem­pered, of well mixed paste, and good burnishing of surfaces; the later vessels show evidence of a more roughly finished surface before burnishing. However, it is the exemplary bold geometric curvilinear designs—arrows and vertical lines of black on buff, white, yellow or red— which denote in a remarkable manner Caliviny ceramics. These do not bear any resemblance to the classical designs predominant in Horizon I and II ceramics of Arawakan origin, nor does there appear to be any true evidence of this style in the crude Carib or Suazey ware.

A cylinder which we denominate 'Troumassoid' was excavated from the Miss Pierre site with the typical Caliviny designs, black on white. This trait in Caliviny ware is considered unique, but is ali­gned with the fact that Chatham Midden, a main cylinder fabrication site in the Antilles, is only a short distance away.

Typical forms are annular basal support pedestal bowls, open bowls, plates and griddles, as well as casuela and boat-shaped vessels often with pointed rim lugs and perforations. These are all sepia, or red painted with distinct buff, yellow, white or grey backgrounds for curvilinear designs. The insides of these ceramics are also burnished, either red or buff, and on occasions bear the same designs as the exterior walls, or may be black, with tar for example. Some of the Miss Pierre sherds were repaired with tar and would point to importation and exchange via Trinidad. It is impor­tant to note that the griddles are footless, and pancake-shaped,bur­nished, red or sepia with in many cases carefully decorated outer walls. Rim modifications are more usually anthropomorphic or consist of simple triangular extensions. The former are not really comparable with other pottery styles existing in the Antilles. The eyebrows are strongly accentuated, ears pierced, nostrils flaring, and eyes defined by additional applications of paste and deep inden­tations. Where faces exist on outer walls of vessels these may be enclosed by protective arms-.

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The Suazey or Carib modifications are moro simplified, wit­nessing a lesser importance given to mythological or religious consid­erations. An influence probably induced by contact with Europeans. In the opposite direction, the Caliviny headed bowls and vessels do not bear any apparent relationship to the earlier Simon and Pearls motifs, other than the existence summarily at the sites of rare degenerate configurations on the surface.

CONCLUSIONS

Comparative ceramics are figured, and would seem to indicate that any influence was of an earlier origin, around A.D. 700 and that perhaps migratory bands from the mainland of Tupi (Guy.anas) origin or neighbouring regions may have been responsible, thus denoting Aranquinoid ancestry. This influence may be perhaps more credible than a questionable Orinocan migration for this culture, in that tidal currents and north-westerly flow would push migrating vessels towards the west and not towards the east at nearly all times of the year. The impossibility to sail against these currents and dominant winds in this particular area is well known. Even navigation between Grena­da and Carriacou can prove problematic at times when designating east as landfall. Also navigating between the Venezuelan mainland, Los Testigos Islands and other offshore islands may well present similar problems and sailing vessels are still on occasions unable to touch land, when leaving this southern mainland, before Guadeloupe. Personal experience has proved this point more than once.

We are thus confronted with a Caliviny complex at its strongest between the north of Grenada, facing Pearls, and Carriacou and Union Island. The whole area is subject to very strong year round west flowing currents, making arrival from the south-east preferable. However, none of these islands have fresh water springs, only ephemeral springs and ponds — on Ile de Ronde an exceptionally large one at the summit — the whole area is also actively volcanic. On the other hand, unequalled marine reserves exist, and manatee teeth have been forthcoming from Miss Pierre Midden. The middens predominant in Caliviny ceramics' typology are also strongly representative of a seafaring and fishing population, as turtle, barracuda, shark, large pelagic fish, conch, and whelk shell remains- are abundant. Also, the shell objects associated with these remains- are extremely well made and often ornate.

This particular culture would seem to have consisted of a small group, but one that remained and marked the settlements over a lengthy period of time. Intermarriage between the two factors, Arawak and Carib,is not an impossibility. Evidence from excavations would point to a longer association with the Arawak than with the Carib, who would have imposed their censure perhaps on Caliviny tendencies and beliefs. The definite tendency by the Caliviny to use geometric and curvi­linear designs bears comparisons with all the noted petroglyphs reputed as sun glyphs or a sun culture. Many of these are from Costa Rica, Cuba, and of course the Orinoco basin. It has been suggested that this ware is Carib ceremonial or religious, this is perhaps a conjec­ture to consider but not altogether valid (a far off comparison would

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be the funeral urns showing similar geometric design equivalent to the Caliviny, which is Pan Shan a branch of Yang Shao culture of Neolithic China. The 'death pattern' consists of a red bank between two black ones (the spirals and curvilinear design is indeed red on black.) . It seems difficult to imagine that the Carib-Suazey culture would go as far as this, for they appear to have been basically hunters and fight­ers, not overly interested in the artistic possibilities offered by the earlier cultures or associates, they were essentially more 'terre à ter­re' in their activities.

Peter Harris' (1980) proposition that to track cultural develop­ment and influence by the use of proper pottery analysis should be employed, with careful note being made of the vessel shapes and deco­ration ,is in this case extremely valid. The phase Caliviny could be a composite of two traditions, but not exactly in the way he suggests at Lovers Retreat on Tobago, as brushing does not apparently exist at any of the sites mentioned (one specimen only throughout the length of entire study of thousands of sherds and the results of seriation and stratigraphy).

It could be concluded that most probably the Caliviny was an interphase, but of a single tradition, and a fairly small group living in a restricted area, mainly the Grenadines between A.D. 700 and 1200, and that finally their ceramic-human culture was to be illuminated by the Carib who dominated in the Lesser Antilles from the end of this phase, circa A.D. 1200.

Finally it is possible that the Caliviny were not dissatisfied with the limited area in which they had chosen to settle and that the accounts of the cultures living further north, did not encourage them to find fault with their extremely ample living conditions and food sources.

REFERENCES

Bullen, Ripley P. 1970 Archaeology of Grenada, West Indies, and the spread of

Ceramic people in the Antilles. Proceedings of the Third International Congress for the Study of Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Lesser Antilles, Grenada, pp. 147-152»

Bullen, Ripley P- and Adelaide K. Bullen 1968 Salvage excavations at Caliviny Island, Grenada: a

problem in typology. Proceedings of the second Inter­national Congress for the Study of Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Lesser Antilles, Barbados, pp. 31-43.

1972 Archaeological investigations on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, West Indies. The William Co Bryant Foun­dation, American Studies, Report No. 8.

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Harris, Peter O'B. 1980 , Excavations report: Lovers Retreat Period IV, Tobago.

Proceedings of the Eighth International Congress for the Study of Pre-Columbian Cultures in the Lesser Antilles. Arizona State University, Anthropological Research Papers No. 22. Tempe, pp. 524-552.

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LEGENDS

Fig. 1. Miscellaneous Vessels and Vessel fragments: a/ incised plate Chatham site, Union Is.; b/ small plain ware bowl with pestle; c/ incised plate, Chatham site, Union Is.; d/ Caliviny Cazuela, Dover site, Carriacou Is.; e/ Caliviny vessel; Grand Bay site, Carriacou Is.; f/ incised cazuela bowl, Miss Pierre site, Union Is.,- g/ Caliviny cazuela rim, Miss Pierre site, Union Is.; h/ adorned vessel with appliqué arms, Sabazan site, Carriacou Is.; i/ black painted modeled-incised vessel, Chatham site, Union Is. (no scale provided).

Fig. 2. Miscellaneous pottery adornos: a/ Chatham site; b/ Ile de Ronde site; c/ île de Ronde site; d/ Grand Bay site; e/ Dover site; f/ Miss Pierre site; g/ Miss Pierre site; h/ Grenadines; i/ Ile de Ronde site; j/ Ile de Ronde site; k/ Ile de Ronde site; 1/ Mayero site; m/ Chatham site (no scale provided).

Fig. 3. Miscellaneous Clay and Shell artifacts: a/ adorno, Ile de Ronde site; b/ rim adorned vessel, Miss Pierre site, Union Is.; c/ Adorned pottery lid, Chatham site, Union Is.; d/ small pottery stamp, Grand Bay site, Carriacou Is.; e/ Spon-dylus americanus shell pendant, Ile de Ronde site; f/ incised shell pendant, Grand Bay site, Carriacou Is.; g/ large pottery stamp, Grand Bay site, Carriacou Is.; h/ incised sherd, Grand Bay site, Carriacou Is.; i/ adorno, Miss Pierre site, Union Is.; j/ adorno, Ile de Ronde site (no scale provided).