The Cosmic Calabash: Afro-Surinamese Art and Thought during the Period of Slavery
Date of Award
Spring 2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
History of Art
First Advisor
Fromont, Cecile
Abstract
This dissertation presents a comprehensive examination of a set of extant carved calabashes made by enslaved people of African descent in nineteenth-century Suriname. Using the spherical calabash fruit, they created small bowls, which they adorned on the outer surface with elaborate carved designs. I argue that while they assimilated this artistic practice from Indigenous cultures, Afro-Surinamese artists developed a unique aesthetic with a West and Central African character. By drawing on primary written sources, African art history, and ethnographic studies, I propose to examine the carved calabashes as representations of the Afro-Surinamese worldview. This analysis reveals a sophisticated understanding of the interconnected forces shaping the universe. Moreover, by situating the study within the historical context of Suriname, I argue that it offers important insights into the dynamic process of cultural creolization. Over four chapters, I examine the cultural significance, artistic techniques, and ritual applications of Afro-Surinamese calabash art. Chapter 1 examines the historical context of calabash art, exploring the dynamic ways in which cultural exchange shaped its development. Through a meticulous examination of historical records and surviving artifacts dating as early as the eighteenth century, this chapter unravels the intricate process by which enslaved people of African descent assimilated Indigenous calabash art into their cultural repertoire. Chapter 2 explores the ritual uses of carved calabashes. It specifically examines a collection of two carved calabashes found at a sacred site in the early nineteenth century. I argue that this context reveals that the calabashes were used as ritual containers to hold offerings for spirits. Chapter 3 analyzes the symbolic significance of the compositions and surface decorations of carved calabashes. Focusing on a specific group of calabashes, I investigate the aesthetic principle of formal balance as a representation of the interconnected relationship between opposing forces (spirit/human, male/female, life/death). Chapter 4 provides a detailed analysis of a carved calabash made sometime before 1831. I argue that its imagery documents Afro-Surinamese views on humans and spirits as agents within a collective moral universe.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Justin Michael, "The Cosmic Calabash: Afro-Surinamese Art and Thought during the Period of Slavery" (2024). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations. 1369.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/gsas_dissertations/1369
