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Real, Recent, Or Replica : Precolumbian Caribbean Heritage As Art, Commodity, And Inspiration
 ISBN: 9780817320874Price: 69.95  
Volume: Dewey: 972.901Grade Min: Publication Date: 2021-04-20 
LCC: 2020-043228LCN: F2172.R43 2021Grade Max: Version:  
Contributor: Ostapkowicz, JoannaSeries: Caribbean Archaeology and Ethnohistory Ser.Publisher: University of Alabama PressExtent: 352 
Contributor: Ostapkowicz, JoannaReviewer: Frederick H. SmithAffiliation: North Carolina A & T State UniversityIssue Date: May 2022 
Contributor: Hanna, Jonathan A.    

This important volume explores the practical and ethical challenges of interpreting pre-Columbian Caribbean art and artifacts. Ten chapters use reproductions and looted indigenous objects as a lens to critically address the history of archaeological research in the Caribbean and to reflect on the ways these materials have hampered efforts to properly represent pre-Columbian history. The replication of pre-Columbian art is both a celebration and fetishization of the indigenous Caribbean past. The editors provide an overview of the history of reproductions and looted materials and assess their impact on public heritage efforts. Replicas of indigenous art are often produced within a framework of nationalist ideologies, which have been used to challenge colonial and imperialist agendas. In Puerto Rico, for example, Jose R. Oliver examines the nationalistic foundations of Taino-themed reproductions. In Jamaica, pilfered indigenous materials, which now sit idle in British museums, are a legacy of colonial rule, according to Lesley-Gail Atkinson Swaby. Jonathan A. Hanna explores the complexities of interpreting indigenous artifacts from Grenada that lack provenance, a process made even more difficult by an extensive production and trade in replicas. A must-read for Caribbean archaeologists and museum specialists.Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals.