As I explain below, I wanted this to be a first-hand report of wonderful rock art that I hoped to see in Jamaica. It did not turn out that way. So this is now a review of publications by Lesley-Gail Atkinson (listed below in References) on the rock art of Jamaica.
Jamaian petroglyphs, pulseamerica.co.uk.
Years ago we took a cruise up the Alaskan Inside Passage on
a smaller ship. During that trip the Purser's office on the ship would go to
great lengths to help us make plans for our visits ashore with helpful information like the directions to Wrangell's Petroglyph Beach. They were friendly
and hospitable and went out of their way to help. Well, now we have just
completed a Western Caribbean cruise on the Serenade of the Seas/Royal
Caribbean, and it was a completely different experience.
I had confirmed that Jamaica (which was a scheduled stop)
has numerous rock art sites so I took my packet of information including
locations and even some pictures to the Shore Excursion desk to ask for help in
arranging visits to one or more sites. Now this is the desk of which the cruise
line's promotional material says "let
our helpful Shore Excursion staff customize your shore excursion for your most
memorable cruising experience."
The result was certainly memorable, but in a very negative way - they
refused to lift a finger or make a phone call to try to find directions, or a
guide, or even where I could look for postcards of the Jamaican rock art. In
other words they totally blew me off, essentially asking me to go away and quit
bothering them. There may actually still be cruises out there that will help
you try to do what you want to do, but Royal Caribbean is certainly not one of
them.
Leslie-Gail Atkinson, Rock Art of the Caribbean,
Fig. 4.2, p. 51, Birdmen pictographs at Mountain
River Cave, Photograph: Evelyn Thompson.
Most of the rock art on Jamaica was created by the early
Taino inhabitants of the island. Sources agree that caves were of great significance
to the Taino, serving as receptacles for the creation and nurturing of life and
as its entry point into the world. Some myths suggest that caves were the place
of origin for not only humans, but the sun and moon as well. Apparently caves
were also used by the Taino for burials and sanctuaries, and as places for
shrines where their Shaman could work to keep balance. Much of the rock art on
Jamaica is also found in caves. Most of this seems to consist of petroglyphs of
faces, although Mountain River cave reportedly has a large number of painted
images.
Leslie-Gail Atkinson, Jamaica: The Earliest Inhabitants,
Fig. 13.5, p. 181, Petroglyphs at Canoe Valley.
Two of the books I found are listed below in references. These writings by Leslie-Gail Atkinson were the most valuable. I have copied
illustrations from these so you can indeed see what is to be found. Also, a
little internet searching will give you an idea of the rock art to be found in
Jamaica. In particular, the book Rock Art
of the Caribbean provides a good overview and some helpful analysis. I got
my access to this through interlibrary loan, but if you are into building your
rock art library I would recommend this one. A number of papers by varying
authors in this volume cover a broad spectrum and offer a great beginning to understanding
the rock art of Jamaica, and elsewhere.
Atkinson, Lesley-Gail
2006 Jamaica: The Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of
the Jamaican Taino, University of West Indies Press, Jamaica
Atkinson, Lesley-Gail
2009 Sacred
Landscapes: Imagery, Iconogaphy, and Ideology in Jamaican Rock Art, p. 41-57,
in Rock Art of the Caribbean, edited by Michele H. Hayward,
Lesley-Gail Atkinson, and Michael A.
Cinquino, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa.
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