little memories
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Primarily stated, I really have no idea just what it is you’re looking at right now. Was it sitting on the corner sidewalk of 43rd street and Broadway in Astoria on March 5? Yes. That’s the only factual thing which can be presented about it, along with a studied opinion that it’s some sort of ritual object.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One of the local gentry had shown me a cell phone photograph of something similar last year, which matched the style and workmanship of this object in substantial ways. The figurines seemed to be composed of some sort of dough, which brought to mind the exquisite and artistically evolved sculptural artifices of “Dia de los muerte” or “Day of the Dead” celebrations that emanate from the near equatorial cultures of North and Central America (Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras etc.).
Those objects, however, are stylistically differentiated from this.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
What we’re looking at here, and we’ll take a closer look in the following shots, had obviously been intruded on roughly by the hustle and bustle of Broadway with its teeming multitudes. Doubt is expressed that this was the original configuration of these objects, which obscures its meaning.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned, the obviously hand molded pieces appeared to be composed of dough. Notice the central figurine with the drawn in hair and face, and the torn lottery ticket. Notice also the grains of rice and coins.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Isolated to specific areas, various odd components seem to contrast each other, which is a standard technique in selecting ritual offerings.
The yellow orange powder in the North East corner had the appearance of having been machine milled, and looked a great deal like a saffron powder of some sort. There’s also a bead.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
South East featured a rough hewn clump with a cocktail sword sitting in it and some unidentifiable brown organics which might have once been fruit or flowers.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
South West had this composite clumping, with another hunk of brown mystery.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
North West featured variegation, with a bisected lime, several raw chile peppers, what appeared to be a piece of meat, coins, and rice.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Long time readers know the ridiculous lengths normally gone to at this- your Newtown Pentacle- to explain and detail the meanings of these ritual sites and objects which may be found around the City of New York. Remember the weirding works at St. Michael’s Cemetery, the Grand Lodge of the Freemasons in Manhattan, or the witch knots at Calvary?
This one, however, has me stumped. Anybody out there have any idea what we’re looking at beyond the material and obvious?
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The Newtown Pentacle 
Hi, this is a semi-educated guess and one that should be verified by someone who knows more Santeria, but it looks like that is handmade Chango Macho, a very popular Orisha (http://www.luckymojo.com/chango.html) who can be worked with on the 4th day of the month for protection, wealth, removing evil spirits. The little swords and the ripped up lottery ticket are what tipped me off.
karen
March 28, 2011 at 4:10 pm
[…] eerily similar in technique and medium to the subject of the 2011 Newtown Pentacle post “little memories.” Incidentally, that find also happened during the month of […]
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March 4, 2014 at 11:35 am
[…] pieces for a while now, here in the Astoria section of Queens. This post from March of 2014, and this one from 2011 illustrate and speculate upon their origins and purpose. The one pictured above was […]
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February 25, 2015 at 11:01 am