Caribbean, European, and African influences in Early Colonial Ceramics: PhD Research by Marlieke Ernst
The initial intercultural encounters in the New World have led to the creation of new social identities and changing material culture repertoires. The reflection of Amerindian- Spanish- and African interaction can be studied through looking at the presence of indigenous ceramics and new manufacturing techniques in the early Spanish colonial sites. I have looked at the sites of Cotuí (the first goldmine exploited by the Spaniards in the New World) and Concepción de la Vega (The fort of one of the most important early colonial cities of the island).
Research on Ceramic Manufacture
Changes in Amerindian vessels after the colonization have been mentioned in pioneering studies. But a stylistic, morphological and technological analyses of the locally made ceramic assemblage of these sites has shown that there is a mutual influence of all cultures present in the ceramic manufacture.
The analyses, which started last September, reveal that the process of pottery manufacture is not as static as sometimes thought. When comparing the new colonial set to the pre-colonial ceramics of the island it becomes clear that new vessel shapes and techniques appear, stemming both from European, African and Caribbean origin. By studying the continuities, syncretism, and intercultural dynamics of early colonial ceramic production this project gains new insight into the dynamics of Amerindian-European- and African interactions as well as Amerindian and African cultural survival and resistance.
The assemblages reflect an interesting process of transculturation in ceramic manufacture in which multiple traditions come together in the creation of a new material set.
By Marlieke Ernst