The Miskito Settlement Landscape of Eastern Honduras, with Emphasis on the Moravian Contribution
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1999 The iM skito Settlement Landscape of Eastern Honduras, With Emphasis on the Moravian Contribution. Benjamin Farr Tillman Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Tillman, Benjamin Farr, "The iM skito Settlement Landscape of Eastern Honduras, With Emphasis on the Moravian Contribution." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7131. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7131 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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THE MISKITO SETTLEMENT LANDSCAPE OF EASTERN HONDURAS, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE MORAVIAN CONTRIBUTION A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Geography and Anthropology by Benjamin Fair Tillman B.S., Brigham Young University, 1993 M.S., Brigham Young University, 1994 December 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 9960102 Copyright 1999 by Tillman, Benjamin Farr All rights reserved. UMI* UMI Microform9960102 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CCopyright 1999 Benjamin Fair Tillman All rights reserved n•• Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor Dr. William V. Davidson for his guidance and assistance throughout my studies at Louisiana State University as well as his guidance during the writing of this dissertation. I would also like to thank the dissertation committee for their valuable suggestions and Mary Lee Eggart for cartographic improvements to maps 1.1 and 2.1.1 would also like to thank Vemon Nelson, archivist of the Moravian Church Archives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and his staff, and Julie Bartholomew who graciously provided accommodations for my family during our stay in Bethlehem I also express appreciation to MOPAWI and CODEFOR for their assistance with lodging and transportation. Without their help I would not have been able to visit several remote Miskito villages. I would also like to thank the Institute Geografico Nacional of Honduras for being the sponsoring agency during my stay in Honduras under the Fulbright grant. Additionally, I am indebted to Elmor Wood who provided assistance in several ways. I am especially thankful to the Miskito who welcomed me into their homes, provided food and shelter, guided me on trips to various villages, and answered my many questions. Finally, I express appreciation to my family including my parents for their encouragement and support, and most importantly to my wife for her patience and assistance throughout my graduate studies. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS....................................................................................... iii UST OF TABLES.................................................................................................. vi UST OF FIGURES............................................................................................. vii UST OF MAPS......................................................................................................ix UST OF PHOTOGRAPHS.................................................................................... x ABSTRACT......................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................. 1 Uterature Review ............................................................................. 5 Methodology ................................................................................... 19 2 THE SETTING: A BRIEF DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY OF THE MOSQUITO COAST, INCLUDING THE ARRIVAL OF THE MORAVIAN MISSIONARIES......................................................... 25 La Mosquitia ...................................................................................25 Ethnogenesis ...................................................................................29 The Arrival of the Moravian Church to the Mosquito C oast ................ 37 Other Denominations in the Mosquitia .............................................. 51 3 MISKITO SETTLEMENT MORPHOLOGY............................. 61 Locational Aspects of Miskito Settlements ....................................... 61 Settlement Agglomeration ...............................................................69 Vegetation Canopy ..........................................................................72 Roads and Paths ............................................................................. 76 Settlement Names ........................................................................... 77 Settlement Descriptions .................................................................. 85 Summary.......................................................................................108 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4 THE OVERT MORAVIAN LANDSCAPE: CHURCHES AND COMPOUNDS ..............................................................................112 Church Location and Orientation .....................................................112 Change in Church Construction Material ..........................................118 Moravian Compounds ..................................................................... 123 Church Names and Adornments .......................................................139 Summary.......................................................................................142 5 MORAVIAN INFLUENCE ON MISKITO DWELLINGS ................. 144 Traditional Miskito Dwellings ........................................................ 144 Moravian Modifications to Miskito Housing .................................... 145 Contemporary Miskito Dwellings .....................................................155 Names of Dwelling Components .....................................................168 Temporary Dwellings ..................................................................... 172 Outhouses.....................................................................................174 Summary...................................................................................... 176 6 MISSIONARIES FOR CHRIST, OR EARLY PROPHETS OF SUSTAINABILITY? MORAVIAN INFLUENCE ON MISKITO AGRICULTURE............................................................................ 178 Moravians and Development .......................................................... 179 Early Influence ..............................................................................182 Modem Influence .......................................................................... 189 7 RATTIx MISKITO BURIAL GROUNDS.............................................195 Traditional Miskito Burial Customs ................................................. 195 Easter Dawn Service .......................................................................199