Undying Affection: The Lovers of Valdaro

Figure 1: Artist rendering of the Lovers of Valdaro (Source: CraigCreative)

 

You may have seen the image in Figure 1 as it is a popular one in certain social circles: two skeletons embracing each other, with one holding the other’s face.  This imagery is actually based on a real-life pair of skeletons, who have since been dubbed the “Lovers of Valdaro” (Figure 2).  Today’s blog post will address who the “Lovers of Valdaro” are and what is currently known of them.

The “Lovers of Valdaro” refers to a pair of skeletons found “embracing” each other.  They received their name because of their positions and the location of their burial (in the village of Valdaro in Italy).  The pair was uncovered by an archaeological team led by Elena Maria Menotti in 2007.  The two skeletons are indeed that of a man (aged 18 to 22) and a woman (aged 16-18) who died approximately 5500 years ago during the Neolithic Period/Bronze Age.  This burial is unique in several ways, the first being that double burials are rare for the period, as well as the unique placement of the bodies.  It is unknown if the pair were indeed lovers or even if they knew each other during their short lives.  It is also unknown what led to their death.  While arrow points have been discovered around the bodies they do not appear to be the cause of deaths for either individual but instead are most likely burial goods placed with the deceased after their death.  At the present time the causes of death for either individual remains unknown.  It is also hypothesized that these two individuals may not have been buried in the placement that they were ultimately discovered, but instead they were buried on top of each other in a squat position.  As their bodies decomposed their skeletons fell into each and the “loving embrace” that has characterized them since. 

Despite X-rays, DNA samples, and 3D scans purportedly being taken on these two individuals prior to their permanent display in the Archaeological Museum of Mantua no results of these analyses have been published to date.  As the archaeological team elected to keep the pair in situ other analyses are limited or impossible at this time.  While very little is known about these individuals they have managed to capture the attention of people from around the world, and they remain a popular attraction for tourists visiting Italy.

Figure 2: Photograph of the Lovers of Valdaro (Source: Amanti di Valdaro)

References

Atlas Obscura. (n.d.). Lovers of Valdaro. Retrieved from Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lovers-of-valdaro

Karasavvas, T. (2017, January 21). Neolithic Romeo and Juliet? The Star-Crossed Lovers of Valdaro. Retrieved from Ancient Origins: https://www.ancient-origins.net/history/neolithic-romeo-and-juliet-star-crossed-lovers-valdaro-007413

Polo museale della Lombardia. (2019). Archaeology in the Mantua area: The “Lovers of Valdaro”. Retrieved from Polo museale della Lombardia: https://musei.lombardia.beniculturali.it/en/magazine/archaeology-in-the-mantua-area-the-lovers-of-valdaro/

Urbanus, J. (2008, January/February). Eternal Embrace. Retrieved from Archaeology Magazine: https://archive.archaeology.org/0801/abstracts/valdaro.html

The Beauty and Complexity of Language: Ethnopoetics

Have you ever been moved by a song, but that same song mean nothing to someone else?  Are you a fan of poetry, or do you cringe at the very mention of it?  Songs and poetry are very similar in that they both harness language to tell stories and imbue meaning from the author to the listener.  Within anthropology the study of such media can take multiple different forms, from ethnomusicologyv to ethnopoetics, the latter of which is the subject of this post.  This post will explore what ethnopoetics is and how it is related to anthropological studies of cultures.

The term ethnopoetics was coined by anthropological linguists, Jerome Rothenberg and Dennis Tedlock, in 1968 (although the former is recognized more frequently than the latter).  The notion that drove the creation of the discipline of ethnopoetics was the desire to move away from ideas that European and Western arts be considered the best or standard for which all other art forms were evaluated, and a complimentary movement toward more inclusion, awareness, and appreciation of non-Western art forms.  Ethnopoetic researchers principally study non-Western and ancient art forms, including poetry, song, riddles, limericks, etc., but the study of modern non-Western poetries and similar prose is included within the field of study.

Ultimately, the goal of ethnopoetics is to recognize the cultural meanings imbued in the poetic art forms created by non-Western peoples.  Ethnopoetic scholars typically either focus on the written or verbally performed poetries (or song), but many are versed in both areas of study.  Ultimately, the recognition of how the poem or song is composed, through specific word selection, the line structures, the comma placements, and how it is performed, with specific tones, intentional pauses, different voices, the inclusion or exclusion of props, etc., all come together to provide a specific message that is important to and/or most understood by the author and affiliated cultural group. 

This ties back to the ideas of linguistic relativity and how language affects perceptions since word use and tone affect meaning and therefore understanding.  Through the study of ethnopoetics is an appreciation of an artform as much as it is also a study of culture.  By understanding the art from the cultural group’s perspective one gains a deeper understanding of the culture itself, similarly to how one person can find deep meaning in a song or poem but that message is lost to another.

Bibliography

Poetry Foundation. Glossary of Poetic Terms. n.d. Electronic. 19 December 2019.

Poets.org. A Brief Guide to Ethnopoetics. 4 May 2004. Electronic. 19 December 2019.

Tedlock, Dennis. ETHNOPOETICS. n.d. Electronic. 19 December 2019.

Webster, Anthony K. "Cultural Poetics (Ethnopoetics) ." December 2015. Oxford Handbooks Online. Electronic. 19 December 2019.

Understanding the Lucumi Religion

Lucumi practitioner (Source: Ancient Origins)

During the slave trade Cuba became home to the most diverse populations of enslaved Africans.  They came from coastal and inland regions of the continent, and they brought with them an assorted mix of cultural customs, including ideological/religious beliefs.  Born from this forced migration came a new faith known respectfully as either Lucumi or Ocha, although the popular and disrespectful name is Santeria (used here only for recognition purposes).  This blog post will discuss what is publicly available about the faith.  It is important to note that much is not known for several reasons, which will be disclosed further below, and any inaccuracies provided herein are the fault of the author.

Lucumi is a religion that combines the various African faiths of enslaved Africans brought to Cuba into one.  Some scholars note that there are elements of Catholicism present in Lucumi practices, but devotees vehemently argue against this.  This is but one of many ways that Lucumi is different from the adjacent Vodou faith practiced among Haitians.  It is believed that part of the reason why Catholicism is mixed in with Lucumi is the history of slave owners strictly prohibiting the practice of native African religions, which then had to be practiced under the guise of Catholic practices.  Plus, there are several aspects of Lucumi practice that are attributed to Catholicism, which is not the case.  These principally concern the use of idols representing the primary god and spirits (orisha) worshiped within the faith.  These idols are typically placed on an altar in the home, and homage and tribute are paid to them daily.  Also, the fact that Lucumi is identified as a monotheistic (one primary god) religion but also has lesser deities or ancestral spirits is often associated with Catholicism’s use of Saints.  In fact, some claim that the lesser Lucumi deities or ancestral spirits are referred to as Saints, which further adds to the confusion.

The Lucumi faith is distinctly different from Catholicism, though, in various ways.  First, there is a formalized rites of passage process that all devotees must go through.  Over a year period practitioners will wear white and appropriately colored bracelets representing their orisha(s).  They will abstain from drinking alcohol or using drugs, sleep in the community house, and follow very strict dietary and behavior restrictions.  All of this is meant to represent the cleansing required to become a member of the faith.  Some reports claim that there is also a ritual conducted at the beginning of the process where inductees’ heads are shaved and the body cut slightly to allow for sacred substances to be added to the body to create a permanent link between the individual and the god.  At the end of the year period an animal, typically one associated with the region and the god’s preference, is sacrificed and eaten in celebration, and in subsequent years on the anniversary the same animal is sacrificed and eaten in remembrance.  This is the only report of animal sacrifice in the faith (based on the information available).

Unfortunately, there remains many secrets about the Lucumi faith, but this is largely due to negative stereotypes and misinformation campaigns against Lucumi followers.  Lucumi practitioners are hesitant to share their religious identities for fear of persecution.  Additionally, there is information about Lucumi that is only meant for the faithful, and therefore it cannot be shared.  What is known is due to the large number of Cuban immigrants across the globe there are many Lucumi followers throughout the world, and the faith continues strong despite historical and modern attempts to snuff it out.  It remains an important aspects of Cuban and, in many ways, African identity.

Bibliography

Davis, C. (2018, April 16). Santeria, Culture, and Syncretism in Cuba. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/santeria-culture-and-syncretism-in-cuba

Dorsey, D. (2017, March 30). BUSTING THE MYTHS OF SANTERIA — AND THEIR ANTI-BLACK ORIGINS. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from Wear Your Voice Magazine: https://wearyourvoicemag.com/identities/anti-black-myths-santeria

Merten, P. (2018, July 31). In Cuba, Santería flourishes two decades after ban was lifted. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from The Ground Truth Project: https://thegroundtruthproject.org/cuba-santeria-catholicism-religion-flourish-two-decades-freedom-granted/

The Pluralism Project. (n.d.). “Santería,” The Lucumi Way. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from The Pluralism Project, Harvard University: http://pluralism.org/religions/afro-caribbean/afro-caribbean-traditions/santeria-the-lucumi-way/