Collection-v-2.1-Part 4, Tumaco Part 4

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Based on studies of skeletal remains, the median lifespan of males in this culture was only about 35 years. Judging by
portrait vessels such as this one, there had to have been exceptions to that rule, some of whom were immortalized in clay.
This expressive piece is a hollow detached head, 9.5 cm in height.
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Another elder statesman showing the wear and tear of his years, with sunken cheeks indicating missing teeth, bags under
the eyes, and prominent cords in the neck Fragment of hollow detached head, 8.5 cm in height.
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One theory presumes that the more primitive pieces, such as this relatively crude portrait of an elder, are simply more ancient, from an era when the Tumacan art was less sophisticated. Others presume that the individual artist was simply less
skillful. These are meaningless arguments, because when artifacts are removed from their original context by tomb robbers, we’ve lost our ability to properly date them, or to draw any conclusions that aren’t purely speculative. Solid figurine,
head re-attached to partial torso,12 cm in height.
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It’s a well established fact that extensive trade took place between the disparate peoples who inhabited the new world
prior to the Spanish conquest. Traveling in seagoing canoes, traders followed the coastline as far north as Mexico and
as far south as Chile. Along with the exchange of raw materials, precious metal, salt, hand-crafted goods, and textiles,
there was a trade in ideas, and the influence of other cultures can be plainly seen in much of the art from Tumaco and La
Tolita. As stated in the introduction to this section (page 3), some scholars have postulated the possibility of transpacific contact with shipwrecked fishermen from ancient Japan. This solid figurine,10.5 cm in height, has decidedly oriental
features, and lends a small measure of credence to that theory.
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The dealer who sold me this piece thought that it looked African in origin (compare the essential features and proportions to the inset photo of an Ife bronze sculpture from the Niger delta, lower left). That’s a possibility, in the sense that
almost anything is possible, but it’s a bit of a stretch logistically, and the Tumaco ceramic predates the African bronze by
close to a thousand years. This piece, a hollow detached head, also bears a strong resemblance to certain Mesoamerican
styles. 6.5 cm in height, with traces of red and white pigment.
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The elaborate headdress on this hollow, detached head from Tumaco is strongly reminiscent of Mesoamerican artistic
styles: Aztec, or possibly Mayan (see inset photo, bottom left). 8 cm in height.
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Another hollow detached head from Tumaco, this one with a classic Mayan profile and hair style (see inset photo, top
right). 7.5 cm in height.
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A small detached head from Tumaco, 5.5 cm in height. This one represents a female with an elaborate headdress oddly
reminiscent of a traditional Hopi Indian hair style (inset photo). The comparison is obviously far fetched: the Hopi’s territory was thousands of miles to the north and many days arduous journey from the sea. I mention them here, not because I
seriously believe there’s a connection, but in order to make a point: we really don’t know what went on in the new world
2,000 years ago. The Hopi culture is one of the most ancient in the American southwest, and their language has commonality with that of the Aztecs. Can we state, with any degree of certainty, that there could not have been contact between
Hopi ancestors and far ranging traders from the south?
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Tumaco figurines are rarely found intact, and in many cases the only thing left that hasn’t been smashed into shards is
the head. Tumaco heads come in three essential varieties, the first being the mascaras, (masks) such as this one, a simple
human face that was probably broken from a larger figurine. The fragment is 9 cm in height.
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Another characteristic style of Tumaco head, with molded detail on the front side, but essentially unfinished on the
back side, with exaggerated cranial deformation. Multiple pierced holes in the ears may have accommodated decorative
gold rings added to the finished piece. The partially hollow detached head is 8.5 cm in height.
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The third variety of Tumaco head, molded on the front side, but finished in all three dimensions by the addition of appliquéd decorative elements, after the molding, but before the figurine was fired. On this piece, the nasal septum was pierced
all the way through after molding to accommodate the attachment of a gold nose ornament. The bulge in the cheek represents a quid of coca. Note that the cranial deformation has been reduced to a mere suggestion on this hollow detached
head, 9 cm in height.
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Most Tumaco/La Tolita sculptures are relatively small, with complete, intact figurines measuring perhaps 20 cm, or 8
inches in height. There is, however, a sub-class of ceramics done in a larger scale. This head alone measures14 cm , and
the sculpture from which it was broken, if still in one piece, would have been close to 50 cm in height, which is nearly two
feet tall, more than double the normal size. The large head is hollow, made from coarse beige clay. The shell is quite thick
and heavy relative to the smaller, more common heads made of gray clay.