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Wednesday 2 March 2022 locAl
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Island’s Rock Art Episode CXLIV - 144

Hi guys good morning. Together we can all be Aruba’s
rangers, guardians of our patrimony. Let’s create a
consciousness that rock Art is our heritage; yes, much
more than just meaningless doodles made by our
Aruban fore fathers. Contrary to popular belief it was
not created by some underdeveloped cannibal in-
habitants of mythical epoch, it does not reflect buried
treasure maps. Neither were they meant to just scare to as alien figures. Abstract figures ration for painting. Tools were sticks or
demons or bad spirits away. What rock Art in general that were used by hunters and gather- probably brushes made from the tips
does provide is means of understanding the sacred as ers in the oldest known new world rock of agave leaves chewed or beaten
well as the mundane perspective of life “in our case” Art bear no resemblance to the real to remove the pulp, leaving vertical fi-
with what prehistoric Amerindian cultures as a com- world. Pecking into the rock to create bers for painting small solid areas, clear
munity could regionally and specially insularly have Petroglyphs was accomplished with a lines, and other fine details. Wider areas
experienced by means of rock art expressions and hammer stone or stone chisel. Different could be painted for example with a
practices relating to it. pecking techniques created different corn husk or cotton wrapped around
styles. Incising or scratching with a sharp the finger or even the finger itself de-
Here we can examine something in great detail in or- tool was also practiced. Incised designs pending on the time frame which these
der to understand it better or to discover more about are more expressive and detailed than where made. Dots were applied with
it, windows for analyzing cultural interaction through pecked designs. Pictographs are usu- the fingertips. Entire hand prints could
symbolic patterns. ally created on light colored, protected have been created using for example
The pre historic artist had the goal in mind to inform, cre- from the elements granite, Quartz Dio- a stenciled design by spraying or blow-
ate beliefs and handing over knowledge among peers. rite, surfaces or on limestone walls and ing the paint around the hand that has
Communication abilities were a valuable in trade and caves ceilings. Stylized animals, humans been placed with spread fingers on the
commerce among neighboring tribes like a way of life. and geometric object designs are com- surface of the rock.
Rock art was also a way of telling stories and archiving mon subjects. Pictograph pigments and
it for future generation`s use. Changes in rock art styles binders were probably obtained from The official Native rock artist was often a
often reflect new ideologies and/or religious practices. soot, vegetal pigments and blood or mystical Medicine Man, herb mixer, the
The quality of the rock art and the level of sophistica- pulverized minerals. While even some color maker but most probably because
tion of the culture it belongs to are not necessarily relat- sea snails could have provided a purple of his power to heal and communicate
ed. reddish stain. Binders were used to sta- with the supernatural. A continuation
bilize the coloring material and allow it of the early shaman, endemic believe
Petroglyphs are less common than Pictographs. Only to stick to the rock. The colors gener- to most tribal societies, most likely sur-
one site has been discovered and is accessible to pub- ally used were red, orange, white and vived from before the migrations across
lic. The incrustations are found on the dark, exposed black. Red pigment probably came the Bering Street over twenty thousand
surfaces of a granite builder at a site known as Siriba- from hematite or iron oxide; orange years ago.q
na (No.2) The top layer or surfaces of the rock served from a combination of hematite, ocher,
as the base color for the abstract representational of limonite, lichen or Brazil wood.
the ”Mythical twins” supernatural beings also referred
Other sources of pigment included About Etnia Nativa
white clay, silica, gypsum, chalk, cal- Our goal is to raise cultural awareness, pro-
cium carbonate, and charcoal. Pas- mote education and safeguard our heri-
tage as the sacred mother seed guiding
tels were created from clay mixed with you to be the next guardian of the island. If
other minerals. Water was used to cre- you love Aruba its origins and its cultural heri-
ate consistency but the binding agent tage, be part of the exclusive visitors of this
could be anything from saliva, to veg- cozy home-atelier called “Etnia Nativa”. This
etal juices and vegetal oils, to a mix of private residential houses collections of na-
water and calcium meal, tree gums, tive art, archaeological artifacts and historic
furniture, while the facilities themselves are
even the whites of bird eggs or guano the result of the transformation of recycled
were employed in many regions of the materials. Meet this acclaimad columnist,
world. The surface of the rock was some- artist and native cultural expert at home!
times smoothed and abraded in prepa- Book your visit Whatsapp + 297 592 2702- or
mail: etnianativa03@gmail.com