Abstract
In this I.S., I consider Indigenous ontology as a serious theoretical model. I am interested in what happens when artifacts are situated in the Indigenous worldviews they were created and used in and what interpretations can be proposed when Western worldviews are decentered. In this study, I examine the iconography of a decorated vessel found in the royal tomb of a 7th-century Maya ruler. I suggest that when situated in Indigenous Maya worldviews, the iconographic motifs on the vessel gain a deeper meaning than purely aesthetic, displaying complex layers of metaphors and meaning. I propose the identification and metaphoric reading of cormorants, tokens, and Datura flowers on this vessel.
Advisor
Navarro-Farr, Olivia
Second Advisor
Mirza, Sarah
Department
Archaeology; Religious Studies
Recommended Citation
Knutson, Teagan, "Traversing the Realms: Using Maya Indigenous Ontology to Read the Iconography on Lady K’abel’s Polychrome Circular Plate from Waka’s Burial 61" (2025). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 11379.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/11379
Keywords
Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican archaeology, Maya, ontology, Indigenous ontology, iconography
Publication Date
2025
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2025 Teagan Knutson