Aruba present at Int’l. Congress on Archeology and Rock Art

 

ORANJESTAD -- From June 26 to 30 the Aruba Archaeological Museum parti­cipated in the International Congress for Archeology and Rock Art in La Paz, Bolivia.

Through the gracious support of UNOCA and the Ministry of Culture, Dr. Harold Kelly and Dr. Aad Versteeg were able to attend this congress as part of a project of study and documentation of all sites with paintings on Aruba’s cliffs. Aruba’s intention is to produce a publication with photos of all sites with paintings which could become the scientific basis for nominating these sites for inclusion in the Heritage List of World Patrimony.
Both Harold Kelly and Versteeg made presentations during the especial symposium dedicated especially to the Caribbean. Harold Kelly’s lecture drew a lot of attention as he spoke about the conservation of paintings on cliffs.
Based on his work with these paintings in Aruba, he presented the challenges that investigators and institutions have to study and care for them: what they encounter in order to preserve these paintings for the next generations.
Kelly’s presentation was especially interesting to Australian Dr. Bednarik who is considered a connoisseur on the study and care of paintings on cliffs worldwide.
Dr. Versteeg, renowned in the region and in the Dutch Kingdom led the archaeological investigation in Aruba, Sint Eustatius and Surinam. During the Congress he also accepted to help with the idea of promoting the heritage that Aruba deserves on the list of the World’s Patrimony.
The next step that these two archaeologists will be taking is to work on the contents of the manuscript which will include a description of all the sites on Aruba’s cliffs. The publication is expected to be completed by the start of 2014.
Aruba has a wealth of paintings left behind by Amerindians at more than 20 different sites. In addition to their historical value to Aruba, these paintings have captured the attention of investigators from across the region and in the Dutch Kingdom during the past decades.
Since the 19th Century, Peter van Koolwijk registered a great sum of these paintings. Later others like Pinart, Wagenaar Humelinck and Versteeg himself continued the registration. In this century the Archeological Museum discovered still a few more paintings.