New Perspectives Talk: “Sonic Memories of the Coast”

Ida Maria Tello, master's student in the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, discusses four terracotta whistles found on Mexico's Veracruz Gulf Coast. These figurines, classified as sonrientes (smiling faces), originate from the Remojadas cultural site located in central Veracruz, which is estimated to have flourished from around 100 BCE to 800 CE.

Tello reflects on the potential ritualistic functions of the whistles and explores the methodologies that may be deployed when analyzing the social and musical functions of the figurines. She also reflects on their history, considering the politics of collection and repatriation while explaining the conditions with which the artifacts found their way to Kemper Art Museum.

Drawing on ethno- and archaeomusicological methods and discourses, Tello asks, what is the role of an ethnomusicologist in an archeological setting, and what challenges might they face? Moreover, how might descendant communities of the Remojadas, and those living in the region, be included in cultural analyses and in artifact repatriation discourses?

Free and open to the public. Registration is recommended.