Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2008 Are bicultural bonobos able to recognize iconic representations and produce referential signs in human cultural terms? Itai Roffman Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Roffman, Itai, "Are bicultural bonobos able to recognize iconic representations and produce referential signs in human cultural terms?" (2008). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 15378. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/15378 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Are bicultural bonobos able to recognize iconic representations and produce referential signs in human cultural terms? by Itai Roffman A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Major: Anthropology Program of Study Committee: Jill D. Pruetz, Major Professor Sue Savage-Rumbaugh Lisa Fontaine Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2008 Copyright © Itai Roffman, 2008. All rights reserved. 1454674 1454674 2008 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES iv LIST OF TABLES viii ABSTRACT ix CHAPTER 1. OVERVIEW 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.1.1 Hypothesis 2 1.1.2 The 3 Components of the Test 2 1.2 Operational Definitions 10 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 12 2.1 Sign Development 12 2.1.1 Prehistoric Communicative Systems 12 2.1.1.1 Pigment Usage 13 2.1.2 Early Markings 15 2.1.3 Color In Symbology 20 2.1.4 Animal Tracking and Human Symbol Development 23 2.2 Semiotics 26 2.2.1 The Origin of Semiotic Theory 27 2.2.2 Semiotics and the Human Mind 29 2.2.3 Semiotics and Cultural Influences 30 2.2.4 Categories of Signs 31 2.2.5 Discussion 34 2.3 Signs and Their Development 35 2.3.1 Simplification of Form 38 2.3.2 Origin of Written Script 41 2.3.3 The Meaning of Shapes and Lines 41 2.3.4 Signs for Survival 46 2.3.5 From Sign, Map to Script 47 2.3.6 Egyptian Hieroglyphics 52 2.3.7 From Hieroglyphics to Writing 53 2.4 The Visual Elements of Signs 55 2.4.1 Sign Forms 55 2.4.2 Abstract and Object Signs 57 2.4.3 Sign Combinations 58 2.4.4 The Space Within Borders 61 2.5 Symbolism and Symbols 63 2.5.1 Animals and Plants; Signs and Symbols 66 2.5.2 Human Signs 68 2.6 Iconography 69 2.6.1 Iconic Usage with Communicationally Disabled Persons 75 2.7 Research in Non-Human Hominid Communication and Art 79 iii 2.7.1 A Chronology of Non-Human Hominid Research in Art 79 2.8 Stages of Artistic Development 82 2.8.1 Children's Art Development by Stages 82 2.9 Gestures as Signifiers of Meaning 91 2.9.1 Iconic Gesturing, Imagination and Miming 95 2.10 Meaningful Use of Signs by Non-Human Hominids 102 2.11 Critique of Chimpanzee Art and Language Research 118 2.12 Discussion 120 CHAPTER 3. METHODS AND PROCEDURES 124 3.1 Introduction (Intention of Study) 124 3.2 Hypothesis 125 3.3 Why Chimpanzees? 125 3.4 The Research Subjects 127 3.5 Sequencing of the Tests 130 3.6 Discussion 131 3.7 Test 1: Representational Iconography 134 3.8 Test 2: Recognizing Icons 137 3.8.1 Test 2 Description 138 3.9 Test 3: Recalling of Signifying Marks 141 3.10 Possible Limitations of Sign Identification and Production 144 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS (ANALYSIS OF TEST RESULTS) 147 4.1 Introduction (To the Research Test Results) 147 4.2 Test 1: Analysis of Kanzi’s Drawings 154 4.2.1 Test 3: Results of Kanzi’s Recall of His Drawings 176 4.3 Test 1: Analysis of Pan-Banisha’s Drawings 177 4.3.1 Test 3: Results of Pan-Banisha’s Recall of Her Drawings 200 4.4 Comparison of Similar Marks in Drawings 202 4.5 Test 2 203 4.5.1 Test 2(A) 203 4.5.2 Test 2(B) 206 4.5.3 Test 2(C) 209 4.5.4 Test 2(D) 211 CHAPTER 5. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 213 5.1 Introduction 213 5.2 Discussion 213 5.3 Future Directions 221 APPENDIX A. ADDITIONAL MATERIAL 223 APPENDIX B. STATISTICAL RESULTS 231 BIBLIOGRAPHY 236 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 243 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Symbolic addition to natural formation (Doring, 2000) 5 Figure 2. Blombos Cave, South Africa (77,000 B.P.) (Zimmer, 2005) 7 Figure 3. Meaningful Aboriginal mark making (Davidson, 1936) 7 Figure 4. Aboriginal cave art, Katatjuta, Central Australia. (J. Isaacs, 2000) 8 Figure 5. Compare Pan Banisha’s drawn symbols to their respective “lexigrams” (Roffman et al., 2007). 9 Figure 6. Aborigine “body painting” (Isaacs, 2000) 15 Figure 7. Aboriginal symbolic markings (Davidson, 1936) 15 Figure 8. Mas d’Azile stones of France (Neolithic “script”) (A. Frutiger, 1981) 17 Figure 9. Chauvet Cave, France, 32,000 BP (no humans are depicted) 19 Figure 10. Banded Krait (Bungarus fasciatus) (flickr.com) 20 Figure 11. “Fatally Dangerous” index (J. Gean, 1998) 20 Figure 12. Deadly “X” mark of Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus mactans) 21 Figure 13. Aborigine ritualistic body painting, 2008 A.D. 22 Figure 14. Aborigine animal icons and foot print marks drawn on cave wall, compared with real foot print in thesand. Colored photos: (J. Doring, 2000), Drawings (D. S. Davidson, 1936) 24 Figure 15. Croc-skin inspiration for Gwion-Gwion Aboriginal mark making? (Doring, 2000) 26 Figure 16. Unintelligible cave marks, Chauvet France (Curtis, 2006) 26 Figure 17. Signifier (right) Signified (left) 28 Figure 18. Non-figurative Lexigrams (Rumbaugh, et al., 1994) 34 Figure 19. Dove as the universal symbol of peace 34 Figure 20. Native American Petroglyph depicting a dangerous escarpment trail not passable by horse (Jean, 1998) 36 Figure 21. “Gezer Tablet” the development of writing, from icon to letter (Istanbul Museum, Turkey) 37 Figure 22. The development of writing, from icon to letter (Rothenberg, 1967) 38 Figure 23. Egyptian Hieratic (below) Hieroglyphics (above)—from icon to abstraction 40 Figure 24. Aborigine symbolic circles (J. Isaacs, 2000) 43 Figure 25. Aborigine signs (from marks to icons), Devon Downs, South Australia (D. S. Davidson, 1936) 44 Figure 26. Hieroglyphics: iconic syllables (above) are combined to create the word (below) “hungry” (Rothenberg, 1967). 45 Figure 27. Easily understandable iconography (flickr.com) 47 Figure 28. Chauvet Cave, France (Curtis, 2006) 48 Figure 29. Mont Bégo, Northern Italy where in 5500–3500 B.C. (yahoo.com) 49 Figure 30. Eskimo ideogram for “no food in the tent” (Rothenberg, 1967) 50 Figure 31. Native American Ojibwa map (G. Jean, 1998) 51 Figure 32. Aborigine map, Uluru, Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Central Australia (flickr.com) 52 Figure 33. From Pictograph to Semitic, Greek and Latin (Avnon, 1963) 55 Figure 34. Cuneiform script, from icon to writing letters (above) (Avnon, 1963) 55 v Figure 35. Geometric shapes evolving into iconic representations, Aborigine rock art, Dover Downs, South Australia (D. S. Davidson, 1936) 57 Figure 36. Gwion Gwion Aborigine narrative depicting, Northern Territory, Australia (J.Doring, 2000) 60 Figure 37. Aborigine rock art, Glen Isla, Victoria, Australia (Davidson, 1936) 60 Figure 38. Aborigine unknown sign, Southern Australia (Davidson, 1936) 62 Figure 39: Egyptian Hieroglyphics (Avnon, 1963) 63 Figure 40. Unknown marked striations, by Aborigine rock painters (D. S. Davidson, 1936) 64 Figure 41. Unknown dot marks, Chauvet, France (Curtis, 2006) 65 Figure 42. Rock crack contours at Chauvet Cave, France (Curtis, 2006) 66 Figure 43. Red symmetric simplified bird icon at Le Portel, France (Curtis, 2006) 67 Figure 44. “Snake,” Aborigine symbol, South Australia(D. S. Davidson, 1936) 68 Figure 45. “Hand prints with missing fingers,” Aborigine symbols, New South Wales, Australia (left) (Davidson, 1936); Cosquer Cave, France (right) 69 Figure 46. Aboriginal marks referencing gender (right); Chauvet Cave (left) (drawing: D. S. Davidson, 1936) 70 Figure 47. Rock art: “2 Kangaroos hunted with Emu”, New South Wales; Aboriginal iconic form-based attribute of “crane” representation, Northern Territory, Australia (photo: J. Doring, 2000; drawing: D. S. Davidson, 1936) 72 Figure 48. Aboriginal rock art mapping in Western Australia (left) (Davidson, 1936) 73 Figure 49. “Danger crocodiles” (above) (flickr.com) 73 Figure 50. Ritualistic body marking, “Crocodile tribal power,” Gwion Gwion, Northern Territory, Australia (Doring, 2000) 74 Figure 51. Makaton 77 Figure 52: Makaton 77 Figure 53. Widgit Icons (Clark, 1981) 78 Figure 54. Stages of representational art development (Morris, 1962) 84 Figure 55. Chimpanzee Congo creates a drawing that is one stage before figurative (right). Human infant’s drawing at the same stage (left) (Morris, 1962) 85 Figure 56. Development of the representationalHuman stick figure; Congo chimpanzee reached stage “f” (Morris, 1962). 87 Figure 57. Moja the chimpanzee’s drawing of “bird” (left) and “cherry” (right) (Lenain, 1997). 89 Figure 58. “Apple” by Washoe (left), and by Moja (right) (Goodall,1986). 89 Figure 59. Mahale, Uganda Chimpanzees have a “hand clasping” unique cultural trait (not seen in Gombe, Tanzania) (Goodall, 1986) 94 Figure 60. Facial expressions are important to convey intention and information, Mr. Worzle, Gombe, Tanzania (Goodall, 1986) 101 Figure 61. A portion of the lexigram system (Atlanta Language Research Center) 105 Figure 62. Kellogg’s Scribble Elements (left) (Golomb, 1992) 109 Figure 63. Nut cracking cultural trait with hammer and anvil at Bossou, Guinea (Wrangham et al., 1994) 110 Figure 64.