Hurkende Caraïb before 1839

This small sculpture of a squatting Carib man was made by Gerrit Schouten, an artist from Suriname in the early 19th century. The figure is dominated by its squatting pose, with its knees wide apart and arms folded across the chest. This posture echoes the ancient ‘birth-giving’ pose of the Neolithic period. Across millennia and cultures—from ancient fertility figurines to modern depictions of childbirth—the open, grounded stance speaks to primal themes of creation, vulnerability, and connection to the earth. It suggests both a submission to natural forces and an act of defiance, bearing witness to the raw, unfiltered experience of life. Such imagery taps into our collective memory. The pose is a deep-seated and enduring archetype that ignites a profound emotional response, echoing our own primal origins and vulnerabilities. The sculpture becomes a powerful emblem of human experience, transcending time and culture, connecting us to the very roots of existence.