Story by R. Adam Ward
Hilltopics April 8,1996 Page 8A
he indigenous people of Costa Rica created objects of such power and beauty that thousands of years after their deaths, their souls have not been allowed to rest.
These artifacts are coming to the United States for the first time since an exhibition 100 years ago, said John Hoopes, assistant professor of anthropo-
pology. They will be in an exhibit called Gold, Jade, Forests. Costa Rica. The exhibit opened yesterday at the Spencer Museum of Art and will be there until June 9.
But the beauty of the gold and jade artwork partially is marred by the controversial way the artifacts were collected.
"The problematic part of the exhibition is that every object in it was looted from a grave by people in rural areas," Hoopes said.
There are three Costa Rican museums that contributed to the exhibit: The National Museum, The Gold Museum of the Central Bank and the Jade Museum of National Insurance. The museums had the policy
of paying grave robbers for their finds to keep the artifacts from leaving the country.
It was a way of conserving Costa Rica's heritage, Hoopes said. Now there is legislation banning the illegal excavation of graves.
Hoopes said he attempted to avoid controversy about the method in which the artifacts were collected by speaking to student groups and by holding an ethical discussion at 4 p.m. on April 18 at the auditorium in the art museum.
During the discussion, he will emphasize that Costa Ricans view these objects as part of their heritage. Because Costa Rica has no large ruins like pyramids, the artifacts are the only remnants that demonstrate the artistry of the indigenous people.
"They instill a sense of pride in the indigenous people as a whole," Hoopes said.
Hoopes said that the exhibit had important educational significance, despite the controversy.
"The objects in the exhibit inspire people to see through another culture's eyes," he said.
Hoops said the earliest objects in the exhibit were about 2,000 years old and were representations of village priests, or shamans. These representations are called the "human transformed" because, according to Costa Rican myth, they are depictions of the shamans transforming themselves into animals.
There also are artifacts depicting animals of the tropical rain forest, he said. The animals are grouped into three categories. There are animals that live on land, such as jaguars and monkeys. Another group is
The later human figures are statues of tribal chiefs, who had political control in several villages, he said.
animals that can fly, such as birds and bats. There are also animals which live in the water, such as crocodiles and frogs. Hoopes said that one of his favorite pieces in the exhibit was a pitcher in the shape of a monkey. Liquid was put in through a hole in the head of the monkey. The spout was in the monkey's unraised arm.
The artists' choice of subjects is evidence of the strong relationship they had with their natural environment, he said.
This past link to the land has motivated the Costa Rican government to try to preserve what is left of the tropical rain forests, said Francisco Corrales, an archeologist on leave from the National Museum of Costa Rica. The government is trying to emulate the direct relationship the indigenous Costa Ricans had with nature. The art of the Costa Rican Indians gives the government an example of how to develop socially and economically while preserving the natural world.
The exhibit also provides a good opportunity to learn more about Latin-American culture, said Corrales, San Isidro, Costa Rica, graduate student.
The exhibit has special significance to him as a Costa Rican student, he said. The artifacts are a link between modern history and pre-Colombian people.
Margarita Bolasos, San Jose, Costa Rica, graduate student, had similar feelings about the exhibit.
"As a Costa Rican living in another country you can't usually see things that represent your cultural heritage," Bolaños said.
Andrea Norris, director of the Spencer Museum of Art, said that was one of the reasons she wanted to bring the 142-piece exhibit to the University.
The large number of professors
and students who participate
in the exchange between Costa Rican schools and the University creates a lot of interest in that country.
"Aside from that they
are gorgeous pieces, the detail in the workmanship is amazing," Norris said.
She said the indigenous people of Costa Rica had no materials harder than jade. They had drilled the jade with wood drills and sand. They also had used strings and sand to shape the jade. The sand there, which is ground quartz, is the same hardness as jade. They used stones to carve stone statues. These methods were extremely labor intensive.
Norris said she liked the tie-ins to other departments that the exhibits had, including Hoopes' research.
Hoopes' web address is http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~hooves/gold.htm. The page has a description and some pictures of the exhibit.
Costa Rica has three archaeological regions.
The collection's cost is higher than the range of $3,500 to $20,000 that the art museum usually pays for exhibits, Norris said. But the Trust for Museum Exhibitions in Washington D.C., the organization that rented the exhibit to the art museum, gave them a discount. The Trust asked the museum not to disclose how much they paid.
COSTA RICA
The University's strong contacts in Costa Rica also made this arrangement possible.
The art museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The exhibit is free.
1. Greater Nicoya Region-Guanacaste subregion
2. Central Region-Atlantic watershed
3. Greater Chilpur Region
Costa Rican Exhibit
Where: Spencer Museum of Ar When: April 6 to June 9 10 a.m.to 5 p.m Tuesdays,Wednesdays and Saturdays;10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
10.24
Cost: The exhibit is free.
Above: This Parrot pendant made of Jade was found in the Atlantic watershed region and is believed to have been made as early as 500 B.C.
Above Left: This gold pendant is a man with monkey features. It probably represents the ancient Costa Rican belief that priests could turn themselves into animals to heal people. The pendant was found in the Chiriqui Region and represents an art movement that lasted from 500 B.C. to 1550 A.D.
T
Photos provided by Spencer Museum of Art
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