Bracelet

A bracelet that was made from sheets of fine gold depicts a strange figure whose eyes, nose, mouth and feet can be recognised. The same motif is repeated skilfully around the bracelet various times, but alternately upside down and right way up. In fact, the proportions and features of the motif are identical every time; it was probably embossed by placing the sheet on a wood carving in order to copy its shapes. What animal or being does it represent? It appears frequently on gold and pottery objects from the Tumaco-La Tolita, Calima-Malagana and Quimbaya archaeological areas in south western Colombia and northern Ecuador, always representing the same mythical being. It tends to have prominent eyes, even "feathered" eyebrows, sharp fangs that are often crossed outside the mouth, and one feature that is missing here, namely a curly crest on the nose. On Tumaco pottery, the mythical being takes the form of a bottle: the body of the container is this animal with long claws, crouching and threatening, while the neck is identical to what we see drawn above the nose, on this bracelet. In Yotoco goldwork from the Calima region, the same figure appears as a mask with a curly crest that is worn by human dancers, and the same bottle neck can often be seen on them. What would they have drunk at these masked balls? What would they have been celebrating? EL