essay

Fonga Sigde, shell purveyor to the Chimu kings

northern dynasties : kingship and statecraft in chimor: a symposium at dumbarton oaks, 12th and 13th october 1985 • Washington, D.C. • Published In 1990 • Pages: 393-417

By: Cordy-Collins, Alana.

Abstract

The traditional history of Lord Naymlap’s arrival in the Lambayeque Valley is examined in light of archeological evidence and iconography, focusing on the courtier Fonga Sigde, whose task was to scatter seashell dust where Lord Naymlap walked. Fonga Sigde may have been a person’s name, but was also the term for a royal administrative office that arranged the importation [i]Spondylus[/i] shell from a foreign polity in Ecuador. Iconography on the North Coast of Peru, especially from the Lambayeque Valley during Middle Sican times, contains many images of diving for [i]Spondylus[/i] from boats. Works of art with the [i]Spondylus[/i] theme were probably owned only by people who controlled its importation. Various examples are described and illustrated, and ethnohistoric accounts and images of boats used in long distance trade along the North Coast are also provided. [i]Spondylus[/i] was present in Peru starting in the Early Intermediate period, but the quantity increased greatly in the Lambayeque Valley around the Middle Sican era, and it evidently become a wealth item in the Chimu Empire.

HRAF PubDate

2015

Region

South America

Sub Region

Central Andes

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Archaeologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

Analyst

Sarah Berry; 2014

Field Date

not specified

Coverage Date

1100-900 BP (AD 900-1100)

Coverage Place

Lambayeque Valley, Lambayeque region, Peru

Notes

Alana Cordy-Collins

Includes bibliographical references (p. 414-417)

LCCN

89023336

LCSH

Chimu Indians--Politics and government--Congresses

Chimu Indians--Antiquities--Congresses

Chan Chan Site (Peru)--Congresses

Peru--Antiquities--Congresses