Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurine

The ekphrastic poem and the essay presented here revolves around a greenstone figurine that was found in Guatemala about a hundred years ago. I composed the poem as a way to capture the thoughts that passed through my mind as I contemplated this statuette. The figurine was given to me by my...

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Main Author: Grace Keyes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Kennesaw State University 2023-12-01
Series:Maya America
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mayaamerica/vol5/iss2/6/
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author Grace Keyes
author_facet Grace Keyes
author_sort Grace Keyes
collection DOAJ
description The ekphrastic poem and the essay presented here revolves around a greenstone figurine that was found in Guatemala about a hundred years ago. I composed the poem as a way to capture the thoughts that passed through my mind as I contemplated this statuette. The figurine was given to me by my mother who had little information about it but believed it was an ancient Maya artifact. Over many years, I often wondered about the hidden secrets such an artifact may hold. During my teaching career, I took the figurine into archaeology classes as a useful teaching tool to help students understand important concepts and methods used in archaeology to make sense of the past. The essay explores the questions and issues raised by the poem such as what the figurine’s features reveal and what meaning or function the statuette may have held in the past. It also explores the poem’s question of who has the right to own such objects, a question that has gained much press coverage in recent times.
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spelling doaj.art-b17d9854b1d64908912fd58887eee2332023-12-22T17:52:13ZengKennesaw State UniversityMaya America2688-91882023-12-015210.32727/26.2023.18Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurineGrace Keyes The ekphrastic poem and the essay presented here revolves around a greenstone figurine that was found in Guatemala about a hundred years ago. I composed the poem as a way to capture the thoughts that passed through my mind as I contemplated this statuette. The figurine was given to me by my mother who had little information about it but believed it was an ancient Maya artifact. Over many years, I often wondered about the hidden secrets such an artifact may hold. During my teaching career, I took the figurine into archaeology classes as a useful teaching tool to help students understand important concepts and methods used in archaeology to make sense of the past. The essay explores the questions and issues raised by the poem such as what the figurine’s features reveal and what meaning or function the statuette may have held in the past. It also explores the poem’s question of who has the right to own such objects, a question that has gained much press coverage in recent times.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mayaamerica/vol5/iss2/6/
spellingShingle Grace Keyes
Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurine
Maya America
title Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurine
title_full Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurine
title_fullStr Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurine
title_full_unstemmed Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurine
title_short Who claims this stone? Searching for meaning in my mother’s greenstone Maya figurine
title_sort who claims this stone searching for meaning in my mother s greenstone maya figurine
url https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/mayaamerica/vol5/iss2/6/
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