Whilst taking another look at Fred Olsen's On the Trail of the Arawaks, we were reminded of 3 marvelous wooden pieces found in La Gonave included in his book. It's not entirely clear where they were found, but at least some of them were allegedly discovered in a cave on the island. Since they are likely at least 500 years old, we should be grateful they have survived at all. The first piece, a tray or platter of oval shape, has definitely borne some of the negative effects of its great age.
Another one of the La Gonave finds was a duho with an animal-shaped head. It too has not been very well preserved, but it's stylistically similar to other Hispaniola stools with zoomorphic figures. It's a pity Olsen's book did not include photographs from all angles of this fine duho.
Perhaps the finest of the La Gonave finds is the above duho (or votive altar?). One can detect symmetrical patterns and grooves in it that bring to mind some of the finest duho panels from the island of Hispaniola.
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