CONSUELO GOTAY
(Bayamón, Puerto Rico, 1949)
Turtle, 2009
Woodcut printwork
Francisco Oller Art Museum Collection
For the indigenous people of the Caribbean – Taínos – a turtle called Caguama represents a mother figure that brought human beings to earth (Juan J. Arrom, 1990). In other cultures, like in Nigeria, the turtle is associated with femininity. Its round shell represents the sky and the square part of its body refers to the earth (Louis Chochod, 1945). It’s also associated with longevity and tenacity.