Denis Williams
Encyclopedia
Denis Williams was a Guyanese
painter
, author and archaeologist.
Williams' early promise as a painter won him a two-year British Council
Scholarship to the Camberwell School of Art in London
in 1946. He lived in London for the next ten years, during which he taught fine art and held several one-man shows of his work. From 1957 to 1967 he taught art and art history at the School of Fine Art, Khartoum, Sudan; the University of Ife, Nigeria; Makerere University
, Uganda; and the University of Lagos
, Nigeria. He also published numerous articles on the history and iconography of West African classical art expressed especially in brass, bronze, and iron, and a book, Icon and Image: A Study of Sacred and Secular Forms of African Classical Art (1974, New York University Press).
He had been exposed to archaeology in Sudan
and renewed his interest in 1968 when he finally returned to Guyana and established a homestead in the Mazaruni
District. In his first letter to the Smithsonian Institution
in 1973, he said "my interest in these antiquities is that they may explain something about the who and how, as well as the when of the arts of the Guyana Indians." His appointment in 1974 as director of the newly created Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology
in Georgetown
provided the opportunity to pursue this quest. Initially, he concentrated his attention on petroglyphs, not only recording the designs, but excavating to recover the tools used and observing the environmental contexts. His Master's thesis, The Aishalton Petroglyph Complex in the Prehistory of the Rupununi Savannas, submitted to the University of Guyana
in 1979, presented ideas elaborated in a 1985 article published in the journal Advances in World Archeology.
In 1980 he began intensive archaeological and paleoclimatic investigations of the shell middens on the northwest coast of Guyana. From the beginning of his studies, he was aware of potential disturbance of stratigraphy, errors in radiocarbon dates, and other pitfalls, and some of his efforts to detect them were detailed in Early Pottery on the Amazon: A Correction.
Evidence for a correlation between the declining productivity of mangrove
resources and changes in artifacts and settlement behavior was summarized in Some Subsistence Implications of Holocene Climatic Change in Northwestern Guyana. His observation that the methods employed by the Warao
for processing palm starch are preadapted for eliminating the poison from bitter manioc offers a reasonable explanation for the origin of this remarkable technology. A monograph detailing his evidence and interpretations of the interaction between environmental change and Guyana prehistory was in press at the time of his death.
He recognized the importance of publication and founded Archaeology and Anthropology, the journal of the Walter Roth Museum, in 1978. His own skill as a writer is documented not only in his scientific papers, but in numerous works of fiction. His accomplishments were recognized in several national awards and an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies
in 1989.
In 1986 he and his assistant, Jennifer Wishart, initiated a program of junior archaeologists in Guyanese secondary schools.
Some of his works include:
Other Leopards (reprinted 2009)
Prehistoric Guyana (2003)
Pages in Guyanese Prehistory (1995)
Ancient Guyana (1984)
Contemporary Art in Guyana (1976)
Icon and Image: a study of sacred and secular forms of African Classical Art (1974)
Giglioli in Guyana, 1922-1972 (1973)
Image and Idea in the Arts of Guyana (1969)
Third Temptation (1968)
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, author and archaeologist.
Williams' early promise as a painter won him a two-year British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
Scholarship to the Camberwell School of Art in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1946. He lived in London for the next ten years, during which he taught fine art and held several one-man shows of his work. From 1957 to 1967 he taught art and art history at the School of Fine Art, Khartoum, Sudan; the University of Ife, Nigeria; Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
, Uganda; and the University of Lagos
University of Lagos
The University of Lagos - popularly known as Unilag - is a federal government university with a main campus located at Akoka, Yaba and a college of medicine located at Idi-Araba, all in Lagos, Lagos State, southern Nigeria...
, Nigeria. He also published numerous articles on the history and iconography of West African classical art expressed especially in brass, bronze, and iron, and a book, Icon and Image: A Study of Sacred and Secular Forms of African Classical Art (1974, New York University Press).
He had been exposed to archaeology in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and renewed his interest in 1968 when he finally returned to Guyana and established a homestead in the Mazaruni
Cuyuni-Mazaruni
Cuyuni-Mazaruni is a region of Esequiban Guyana, a territory in dispute by Guyana and Venezuela, bordering the regions of Barima-Waini, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara and Pomeroon-Supenaam to the north, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the east, the region of Potaro-Siparuni and Brazil to...
District. In his first letter to the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in 1973, he said "my interest in these antiquities is that they may explain something about the who and how, as well as the when of the arts of the Guyana Indians." His appointment in 1974 as director of the newly created Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology
Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology
The Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology is a museum of anthropology in Georgetown, Guyana and claims to be the oldest such museum in the English-speaking Caribbean region...
in Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
provided the opportunity to pursue this quest. Initially, he concentrated his attention on petroglyphs, not only recording the designs, but excavating to recover the tools used and observing the environmental contexts. His Master's thesis, The Aishalton Petroglyph Complex in the Prehistory of the Rupununi Savannas, submitted to the University of Guyana
University of Guyana
The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana is a public university established in 1963 by the Guyanese government.-History:Cheddi Jagan, then Premier of British Guiana considered that the University of the West Indies, to which his government had contributed since 1948, was not meeting the...
in 1979, presented ideas elaborated in a 1985 article published in the journal Advances in World Archeology.
In 1980 he began intensive archaeological and paleoclimatic investigations of the shell middens on the northwest coast of Guyana. From the beginning of his studies, he was aware of potential disturbance of stratigraphy, errors in radiocarbon dates, and other pitfalls, and some of his efforts to detect them were detailed in Early Pottery on the Amazon: A Correction.
Evidence for a correlation between the declining productivity of mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
resources and changes in artifacts and settlement behavior was summarized in Some Subsistence Implications of Holocene Climatic Change in Northwestern Guyana. His observation that the methods employed by the Warao
Warao
The Warao are an indigenous people inhabiting northeastern Venezuela and western Guyana. Alternate common spellings of Warao are Waroa, Guarauno, Guarao, and Warrau. The term Warao translates as "the boat people," after the Warao's lifelong and intimate connection to the water...
for processing palm starch are preadapted for eliminating the poison from bitter manioc offers a reasonable explanation for the origin of this remarkable technology. A monograph detailing his evidence and interpretations of the interaction between environmental change and Guyana prehistory was in press at the time of his death.
He recognized the importance of publication and founded Archaeology and Anthropology, the journal of the Walter Roth Museum, in 1978. His own skill as a writer is documented not only in his scientific papers, but in numerous works of fiction. His accomplishments were recognized in several national awards and an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
in 1989.
In 1986 he and his assistant, Jennifer Wishart, initiated a program of junior archaeologists in Guyanese secondary schools.
Some of his works include:
Other Leopards (reprinted 2009)
Prehistoric Guyana (2003)
Pages in Guyanese Prehistory (1995)
Ancient Guyana (1984)
Contemporary Art in Guyana (1976)
Icon and Image: a study of sacred and secular forms of African Classical Art (1974)
Giglioli in Guyana, 1922-1972 (1973)
Image and Idea in the Arts of Guyana (1969)
Third Temptation (1968)