Hut plans and hearths SETTLEMENT STRUCTURE OF A TAINO SITE ON SABA, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

Transcription

1 SETTLEMENT STRUCTURE OF A TAINO SITE ON SABA, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES Menno HOOGLAND Leiden University Résumé Cette communication présente une synthèse des études effectuées sur le site ostionoïd Chican de Kelbey Ridge 2 sur l île de Saba dans les Petites Antilles. L interprétation de la distribution des artefacts et les topographies ont permis la définition des limites de l aire d occupation. On estime que l endroit fouillé correspond plus ou moins à celui de l occupation. Les tombes fournissent des informations intéressantes sur les pratiques funéraires. Ces deux informations ethnographiques et ethnohistoriques sont utilisées pour la synthèse des données archéologiques. Abstract The paper presents a synthesis of the Chican Ostionoid Site of kelbey s Ridge 2 on the island of Saba in the northern Lesser Antilles. The interpretation of the artefact distribution and features resulted in the construction of the settlement layout. It is believed that excavated area corresponds more or less with one of the compounds in the settlement. The graves provide interesting information on complex burial practices. Both ethnographic and ethnohistoric information are used for the synthesis of the archaeological data. Introduction The site of Kelbey s Ridge 2 is situated in the northeastern part of the island of Saba on an elevation of 140 m msl (Fig 1). It is located on a triangular, slightly sloping terrain of approximately one hectare (for more site information see Hoogland 1996). The site location will have given pre Columbian occupants easy access to a wide range of ecological zones and resources. It is located 300 m from marine resources on the coast. In addition, the occupants of the site would have had access to the forest on the higher slopes, a resource of agricultural soils, wild fruits, birds and small mammals. Due its elevated position Kelbey s Ridge provides a good view on the neighbouring islands and control can be exercised over the sea.the site of Kelbey s Ridge 2 consists of a long, curved artefact scatter along the ridge with a surface of m2. The excavated surface measures 382 m2, which is about 20 percent of the total surface area of the site. The site has a simple stratigraphy: on top of the sterile subsoil, there is a very thin (5-10 cm) level with dispersed artefacts, which contains exclusively pre-columbian material: potsherds and low quantities of subsistence debris. This layer seems to represent the remainder of an occupation surface. The occupation layer has the characteristics of a sheet trash deposit. On top of this layer there is a ploughzone of cm thick containing most of the pre-columbian artefacts, mostly potsherds, and some colonial artefacts. The pottery from this assemblage has been assigned to period 3 of Saban chronology (Hofman 1993: ). It belongs to the Chican Ostionoid subseries (Hofman 1993: ). Seven charcoal and one shell sample obtained from three postholes and three of the hearths (F503, F524 and F526) and six AMS dates of the burials point to a date in the 14th century (see Table 1) Hut plans and hearths The excavations revealed a large number of features, mostly quite shallow postholes, hearths and burials. The distribution of the various features give insight in the settlement structure and spatial organisation of the site. The features consisted of 22 colonial and recent features, 114 shallow pits, 180 postholes, 7 burials and 4 hearths (Fig 2). The depth of the postholes varied from 6 to 90 cm and the average depth is 30 cm. Postholes with a depth exceeding 30 cm made up approximately 58% (n=105) of the total. For analysis, the postholes have been grouped in three depth classes; smaller than 30 cm; cm; larger than 45 cm. The other variables are the diameter, the shape of the posthole in section, the presence of a postmould, mostly as a filling rich in ash, and the content of the filling. The various depth classes were plotted on a map and supported by other properties of the postholes, several configurations of postholes, interpreted as the traces of hut structures, could be distinguished. Five or six configurations of postholes could be distinguished (Fig. 3). As two configurations have four postholes in common, they are considered to form alternatives possibilities. The configurations can be interpreted as round or slightly oval hut structures with diameter from 8.50 to m and a surface area ranging between 63 to 80 m2. Inside the floor plans several patches of consolidated gravel were uncovered, which probably evidence of a tamped hut floor. Two of the hut plans have an association with burials and two with hearths. It is assumed that structure 2, being a rebuild phase of structure 1, has functioned as a cooking hut. The same may hold for structure 5. Structure 7 can be interpreted as a shed or storage rack. The hut structures have an inner construction of two paired posts and an outer circle of posts of a more or less equal depth. The floor plan of structure 2 is very similar to the Tutu structure with a inner construction of four posts supporting the roof. Four pre-columbian hearths were uncovered. The hearths consist of a 5-20 cm thick ash layer and had an average size of 2 x 3 m. As the ash deposits and the areas around the hearths contained large numbers of partly burned faunal remains of terrestrial animals and fishes, it can be assumed that the fires served for food preparation. Other evidence is given by the fire-cracked stones, which can have functioned as cooking stones. The pair of hearths F283 and F284 have in common that the texture of the ash deposits was very fine and the fill was very loose. Both hearths were extremely well preserved and in the centre of F284 three stones were embedded in the ash in a triangular configuration. The perfect condition of the hearths led to the suggestion that they represent the final occupation phase of the site. I also suggests that, after abandonment, the hearths were still protected from the impact of rain and wind by a structure. It has already been stated that this could mean that structure 2 was used as a cooking hut.there are also a number of postholes uncovered at the location of hearths F524 and F503. By analogy with the case of structure 2 it can be assumed that the configuration of the five postholes can be interpreted as a part of a cooking hut. Burials The analysis of the seven burials (see Table 2) provided evidence of the burial ritual at Kelbey`s Ridge. The burials vary in complexity and both inhumation and cremation occur. Three types of burials are distinguished : single, composite and secondary burials The four single burials concern one adult female (F148), one approximately 3 year old child (F337)

2 and two 12 year old children (F166 and F313).The skeleton of the female (F148) provided important information on the taphonomy. Some smaller bones of the skeleton, such as hand- and footbones were uncovered at a deeper level or even at the bottom of the grave pit. The dislocation was limited to a mere vertical displacement. It can be concluded from this that the grave pit was left open during a time span which was sufficient for the decay of these ligaments. A peculiarity of the burials of the children is that all the skeletons are incomplete; the skeleton of feature 337 lacks the right humerus. Since the skeleton is well preserved the humerus was certainly removed in Amerindian times. In the other graves (F166 and F313) a similar practice was documented; in these cases the skulls were removed from the grave. Two composite burials (F068 and F132) concern in both cases an adult with a child.grave F132 (Fig. 4) comprises the burial of a 50 year old female and an infant aged only a couple of weeks. The two individuals were not simultaneously interred as is suggested by a slight disturbance of the skeleton of the adult. The disarticulation of the bones of the feet was explained as an indication that the burial pit of the adult was filled up at the moment that the burial pit for the infant was dug. It has been dug to the level where the bones of the feet and both knees were encountered. Ash spots imply that subsequent to the interment of the adult as well of the infant a fire was burnt on the grave. The human remains of the second composite burial (F068) belong to a male adult about 50 year old and a child of approximately 5 years of age (Fig. 5). The burial ritual comprised at least two stages. In the first stage the male was interred in a tightly flexed position. After the interment a fire was burnt in or in the close vicinity of the grave as evidenced by ash and charcoal spots on the bottom of the grave pit. The next stage comprised the interment of the cremated bones of a approximately 5 year old child in the chest cavity of the adult. This was done by removing the left femur, tibia and fibula and the right hand. Subsequently, in the left half of the chest of the male space has been created by the removal of the third to the seventh rib. This took place without disturbance of the joining bones so the ligaments must have been decayed at that moment. A timespan of several months between interment of the male and this stage seems plausible. The cremation was constricted to an oval cluster, which suggests that it was packed in a container of a perishable material, for example a piece of cloth. After interment of the cremation the bones of the left hand and three of the removed ribs were put atop of the cremation. Finally, the bones of the lower leg, i.e. the tibia, fibula and patella, were arranged in a more or less anatomically correct position; the left femur, however, had not been replaced. There was only one object found in the grave, it is a piece of hollow bird bone. An object from manatee bone was found at a somewhat higher level in the occupation layer. The object is shaped like a fish with an open mouth. The opening in the mouth is connected with two apertures behind the gills. This object is probably an inhaler for hallucinogenic snuffs. It is assumed that the apertures behind the gills functioned as outlets and were extended by a piece of hollow bird bone as found in the grave pit. This bone actually fits in one the outlets. The secondary burial comprises skeletal remains of F149 and the interment of the cremated skeleton of the child in the just mentioned grave F068. Grave 149 consisted of a unarticulated set of bones such as vertebras, ribs and hand and foot bones. The comparison of both the inventories of the grave F149 and the cremation of burial F068 yielded an interesting result. The inventories are complementary in so far as the fragments of the cremation could be identified. Most of the cremated fragments belong to the skull and the long bones, which do not occur in F As the age determination of the cremated remains and human remains of F149 yielded the same result, it is believed that the remains from both graves belong to one individual, a five year old child. Another detail of the cremation supports this conclusion; the long bones have no fissures, which are typically induced by shrinkage of fresh bone during the cremation process. This means that the bones were already in a dry state before cremation. The irregular outlines of the grave F149, the disarticulation and the incompleteness of the skeleton provide evidence that the child had been exhumed. The skull, the complete set of long bones and only a part of the axial skeleton and smaller bones were collected and cremated. As a secondary interment the cremated bones were buried in the grave of the 50 year old male (F068) The analysis the stable carbon- and nitrogen isotope values are usually employed to differentiate subsistence economies based on C3 plant such as temperate grasses, wheat, root crops, from those based on C4 plants, such as tropical grasses and maize and to assess the contribution of marine resources to the diet (Van Klinken 1991, Stokes 1995). As a part of research samples of the skeletal remains of Kelbey s Ridge 2 have been measured. The C13 values are in the range of to promille. The latter values could imply that maize may have made up part of the diet at Kelbey s Ridge 2. The ethnohistorical sources attest for the cultivation of corn among the Amerindian groups of the Greater Antilles in this period. The extent to which maize contributed to the diet, cannot be determined with the present data. However, it seems that its access was restricted to some members of the community as only two adults show an enrichment of the carbon thirteen isotope. In a similar context Newson (1993) hypothesized elite access to maize for the site at En Bas Saline. Synthesis The general characteristics of the Kelbey s Ridge burials match with the descriptions in the historical accounts on the inhabitants of the Greater and Lesser Antilles, by authors such as Columbus (Jane 1988), Las Casas (1927), Breton (1978) and the Anonymous of Carpentras (Moreau 1987). Striking similarities are the shape of the grave and the flexed seated position of the deceased as described by Breton. The observation that the grave was kept open for a period of time is also confirmed by the accounts of Breton. He reports that the burial pit was covered by some kind of lid and that the graves were located in the hut of the deceased. The ash spots in and on the grave can thus be explained by the custom of incinerating the personal belongings of the deceased near the grave and to burn a fire on the open grave in order to preserve the body by desiccation. The observation that three of the skeletons lack either the skull or one of the long bones can be explained by the practice of taking a bone out of the grave and keeping it in the house as an oracle or zemi. The cultus of keeping skulls and other parts of the skeleton in the houses as oracles are reported by many chroniclers. The composite burials of Kelbey s Ridge attest to a special relationship of a child with an adult. It is striking that in both cases there is evidence of a special relationship between a first and third generation. It is assumed that this relationship reflects some kind of hereditary principle and is possibly related to the custom of naming a child after one of the deceased grandparents, as reported by Breton for the Island Caribs. Composite child-adult burials, however, in which a child is interred in the grave of an adult at a later stage, are as far as known not mentioned in ethnohistorical or ethnographical reports. It remains, however, to be explained why the burial ritual at Taino site shows so many similarities with the ethnohistorical account on the Island Caribs, who are described by the chroniclers as an completely different group. 149 Based on the analysis of the archaeological data supported by ethnographical and ethnohistorical

3 data the following picture emerges as to the structure of the Kelbey s Ridge 2 site. The excavated area comprises the floor plans of at least three residential houses, two pairs of hearths and seven burials. Archaeological data such as the artefact distributions and patterning, and the presence of a number of integral elements of a household unit, i.e. the residential structures and burials, and a domestic area with cooking hearths, point to the existence of house compounds. In a compound one or two huts were simultaneously occupied. It is supposed that the excavated area represents more or less the area of one house compound. The local community consisted of households made up of an extended family. Although the presence of a communal house is not confirmed at Kelbey s Ridge there is evidence provided for joint households organized around the extended family by the burial ritual. Both the composite burials comprise a member of a first generation and one of the third or fourth generation. Although the floor area of the huts is an indication for occupation by a nuclear family, it is assumed that the composite burials point to the existence of extended families. The extended family formed one joint household living within one house compound and probably inhabited two or more residential units depending on the family size.this could mean that Kelbey s Ridge 2 was originally occupied by some interrelated household groups, which developed in a time of 30 to 40 years as mature extended families. The burials confirm that the household group lasted for 30 to 40 years. Based on our observations we hypothesize that the settlement consisted of a number of house compounds. The number of compounds that fit the site limits is four or five. The number of compounds that fit the site boundaries is four or five. The results of the radiocarbon measurements suggest that the occupation of the site lasted about 100 years at most. A shorter span of occupation, say around years, may be a more plausible estimate. During this period of time the site was occupied by four or five household units simultaneously. This community was part of one of the Tainan chiefdoms of the Greater Antillles, probably one on Hispaniola. Saba could have been incorporated for economic purposes as the exploitation of fishing grounds of the Saba Bank or for more political reasons as the establishment of a supportive base to control the route of trade and communication towards the South American mainland. The two adults, which are distinguished by the complex burial ritual and privilized access to maize, could represent some kind of a local elite Historia de la Indias. 3 vols. Barcelona. Moreau, J-P 1987 Un Flibustier Français dans la Mer des Antilles en Editions Jea Pierre Moreau, Clamart. Newsom, L.A 1993 Native West Indian plant use. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville. Stokes, A.V 1995 Understanding prehistoric subsistence in the West Indies using stable isotope analysis. In R. E. Alegria and M. Rodriguez (eds.), Proceedings of the Fifteenth International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology, pp Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, San Juan de Puerto Rico. Stuiver, M., and T.F. Braziunas 1993 Modelling atmospheric influences and C 14 ages of marine samples to 10,000 BC. Radiocarbon, vol. 35 (1): Stuiver, M. and G.W. Pearson 1986 High-precision calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, AD BC. In Minze Stuiver and Renee S. Kra (eds.), Proceedings of the Twelfth International Radiocarbon Conference. Radiocarbon, vol. 28 (2b): Fig. 1 The island of Saba Fig. 2 Kelbey s Ridge 2, postholes, burials and hearths Fig. 3 Kelbey s Ridge 2, hut plans Fig. 4 Burial F132, a composite burial of an adult and an infant Fig. 5 Burial F068, a composite burial of an adult and the cremated remains of a child aging five years. References Breton, Pere R 1978 Relations de L Ile de la Guadeloupe. Société d Histoire de la Guadeloupe, Basse Terre, Guadeloupe. Hofman, C.L 1993 In search of the native population of pre-columbian Saba. Part one. Pottery styles and their interpretations. Ph. D. dissertation Leiden University, Leiden. Hoogland, M.L.P In search of the native population of pre-columbian Saba. Part two.settlements in their natural and social environment. Ph. D. dissertation Leiden University, Leiden. Klinken, G.J. van 1991 Dating and dietary reconstruction by isotopic analysis of amino acids in fossil bone collagen - with special reference to the Caribbean. Ph. D. dissertation Groningen University, Groningen. 150 Las Casas, Fray Bartolomé de 151

4 Fig. 1 The island of Saba Fig. 2 Kelbey s Ridge 2, postholes, burials and hearths

5 Fig. 4 Burial F132, a composite burial of an adult and an infant Fig. 3 Kelbey s Ridge 2, hut plans 154 Fig. 5 Burial F068, a composite burial of an adult and the cremated remains of a child aging five years. 155