holes but lies at 3 and 6 meters respectively of two large ovens. Ovens are believed to have been Robert N. BARTONE used by the inhabitants when making their big ceramic pots. The use for the stream in this area UMF research Center, University of Maine at Farmington and could be related to this pottery making. The sand in this stream would make an ideal clay source Aad H. VERSTEEG after a rainfall. It’s possible that the stream was widened to maximalize the use of the sand and to create new one at the same time. Also a larger area of water would evaporate more rapidly leaving Institute Pre & Protohistory Leiden Univesity a damp clay on the bottom of the stream.

The widening and/or deepening of the natural waterstreams were most probably done by the pre- columbian settlers and the so-called «improved streams» could have been used at different points Introduction in time. It is not sure that these streams are not related to the colonial period as the Precolombian Recent archaeological investigations at the Tanki Flip site in Aruba produced clear evidence of house houses clearly are oriented towards them. No accounts exist of this land being used for major pur- structures. Tanki Flip is one of several large late prehistoric sites in Aruba (Fig. 1) attributable to the poses beetween 1515 and 1836. We know that the most distinct of the improved streams namely the Dabajuroid tradition (Versteeg and Ruiz 1995). Approximately 2500 square meters were excavated tanki was not visible in 1836 when the Survey collected their data. At this time the area of Tanki along the northern side of the site in 1994 through mechanical excavation and about 1850 features Flip was parceled and rented out for agricultural purposes. Also around this time a big waterre- were recorded (Fig. 2). All features were sectioned to study the profiles and to determine if they were servoir was build northeast of the excavated area. cultural in origin. The vertical of each was drawn at a 1:10 scale, and the contents were sifted through 3.2 mm mesh screen. The features and their contents were studied and determined to be hearths, kilns, burials and pits, The stream contained only prehistoric material or only earth and the colonial tanki. It is remarkable among others, but the majority of the features proved to be postholes (Fig. 3). All features at Tanki that data from the study of the shell from Tanki Flip site, done by Ramón Dacal of the Montane Flip are relatively shallow; hard diorite bedrock is situated at only ca. 45 cm below the machine- Museum of the University of Havana, suggest that the area is considered important to be the part of the excavated surface which was first inhabited. A significant number of shell in this area show excavated surface, or about 75 cm below the original surface. Most of the postholes are also relati- a surface with patina, which is the result of the shell being «submerged in water to keep it’s surfa- vely narrow, almost certainly due to the limited size of construction wood available in arid Aruba. ce from weathering».1The southernmost stream was widened and used as waterreservoir and Many recognizable posthole configurations occurred in the excavated area at Tanki Flip (Fig. 4). pond for shells and later as dumppit only during the prehistoric period. These configurations included four major categories: The east and weststream which were divided by a tanki were probably dugged out at a later time 1. Two types of houses including large malocas and smaller round to oval houses (Fig. 4); and used thru the historic period when indians lived at Tanki Flip after the arrival of the Europeans. 2. Workhuts associated with the houses The same accounts for the norhernmost stream. 3. A single central hut with unique features and associated finds (Structure 11; Fig. 4). 4. Fences or walls, a large E-W one in the northern part of the site (Fig. 4), and some smaller ones between structures either connecting or separating them. Much work still remains to be done when trying to understand the way in which the first inhabi- tants of Tanki Flip used the hydrological resources of this area. This report indicates an affective use This paper reports our interpretation of the posthole configurations that are seemingly structures. of the natural characteristics of the surface hydrology in the area by this people when trying to These are attributable to the Dabajuroid tradition, ca. AD 1000-1500, or their contact period descen- maximalize water availability in their settlement area. dants, the ethnographic Caiquetio. References Malocas Boerstra, E.H.J., 1981. «Some of the Soil Marks of the Tanki Flip Excavation. Aruba. Netherlands Antilles: The ditches». Proceedings 9th International Congress Pre-Columbian Cultures Lesser Five oval structures in two clusters at Tanki Flip are interpreted as malocas, or multi-family houses Antilles: 13-20. in which more than a single nuclear family lived (Fig. 4, Str. 3, 5, 7A, 10, and 14; Fig. 5). These struc- Boerstra, E.H.J. 1982 «De Precolumbiaanse Bewoners van Aruba, CuraÁao en Bonaire». De tures are between 10 and 14 m long and between 8 and 9.5 m wide. They are all oriented east-west. Walburg Pers, Zutphen. 79pp. The outer oval line of postholes in each case has between ca. 25 and 72 roof supporting posts (for Dacal-Moure, R., 1995. «Informe Preliminar de la Concha de Tanki Flip, Aruba». Internal Report of structures 5 and 3, respectively). The inner configuration of posts of these structures is less uniform the Archaeological Museum no. 8. 35 pp. than the outer configuration, but some posts delimit an inner ovalish structure and in several cases, Heidecker, L. & Siegel, M.I., 1969. Prelimenary Report on the Excavation of the Henriquez I site, east-west oriented lines of posts run across the interior south of the center. These interior lines divi- Tanki Flip, Aruba. Florida Anthropologist 22 (1-4): 12-26. de the structures into two portions of unequal size. Postholes are most widely spaced in the nor- Versteeg, A.H. & Ruiz, A.C. 1995. «Reconstructing Brasilwood Island: The Archaeology and theastern portion of each structure and may reflect entrance ways. Landscape of Indian Aruba». Publications of the Archaeological Museum Aruba 6. 116 pp.

171 170 The Tanki Flip structures are not perfectly regular like those identified at the Golden Rock site in St. THE STRUCTURES OF TANKI FLIP, ARUBA Eustatius (Versteeg and Schinkel 1992). It should be noted, however, that the postholes at Tanki Flip were documented at a position below the floor level of the structures, that is, the upper portions are unknown. If the wooden posts were not perfectly straight (and Aruban timber is rarely straight), the One remarkable structure, and the all-important empty areas postholes do not necessarily represent perfectly straight or curved lines. A unique structure, structure 11, at Tanki Flip is situated in the southeastern portion of the excavated Nonetheless, the upper horizontal beams (also not necessarily straight) were likely adequately sup- area, centrally located between structures 3, 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14. The majority of the shell beads, many ported by the vertical posts. In some instances, an interior-exterior alternating pattern of postholes bones and other remains were found in the postholes related to this structure. A particularly dense was evident, which may have been made purposely to support the upper beams more effectively. concentration of postholes define its northwestern side, but this is difficult to interpret. Only a few Further, all postholes were not necessarily identified. First, Colonial activities damaged the site and postholes were found on the southwestern side. Lines of posts around structure 11 are interpreted as secondly plants prefer the soft, relatively rich posthole , and thus have obscured some of the post- fences or walls. Structure 11 certainly served some sort of specialized function within the village, holes, making them seemingly non-Indian features. These factors, and others, made recognition of perhaps a «men’s house», as suggested by ethnographical references. the features in some parts of the site extremely difficult. Still, we feel confident that the most impor- To the north of structure 3, relatively few postholes were encountered. Nothing apparently was ever tant posthole patterns have been recognized for these large structures. built by the Amerindians in this area, although the soil conditions there were similar to surrounding Of note, a structure comparable in shape and size to those of Tanki Flip has been previously exca- areas where features where readily identified. This empty area may represent a small plaza. Another vated by Versteeg at the Santa Cruz site in Aruba (Versteeg 1993). Likewise, Jose Oliver has docu- empty plaza area to the south of structure 3 may be associated with unique structure 11. Several other mented a comparable large oval structure at Maticora in western Venezuela, although this latter struc- empty areas at the site suggest a long-term maintenance of open plaza areas. ture is not apparently Dabajuiroid (Oliver 1995). Hearth locations are seen in the northern and eastern section of four of the five malocas at Tanki Workhuts Flip. Structure 10 is unique in having two hearths in its western part, along with a semi-circle consis- Configurations of postholes showing structures only a few meters in diameter are often found on the ting of three urn burials of children. A fourth urn within this group is unusual for Aruba, containing northeastern side of both the smaller structures and larger malocas, for instance, to the northeast of the remains of five individuals including five adults and two children, according to the analysis by structures 1, 3 (Fig. 5) and 9, and to the east of structure 7. These smaller structures are interpreted physical anthropologist Tacoma. as workhuts. The shapes and floorplans of these small structures will be studied further in the futu- The pit of one of these burials cuts through (and is later than) one of the hearths. It is an urn-burial- re. At present, they seem to be similar to horse-shoe shaped structures reported as houses in Aruba hearth combination, which is reminiscent of an individual at Santa Cruz who was buried in a hearth by Boerstra (1982:152) and in Bonaire by Haviser (1991:152). of a small house (Versteeg 1993). Fences Nuclear family houses The Tanki Flip site was fenced by the Amerindians, as was the Santa Cruz site. Originally Versteeg Nine structures at Tanki Flip are round to oval and are interpreted as houses for single nuclear fami- was not willing to suggest the presence of a fence at Santa Cruz based on the excavation of a line of lies (Fig. 6). The smallest has a diameter of ca. 6 m and the largest is 9 m. The postholes are similar posts at least 15 m long and situated between a gut and a structure 8 m in diameter (Versteeg 1993). to those of the malocas. Again, the outer perimeter postholes that supported the roof are relatively However, discovery of an uninterrupted row of posts at Tanki Flip, oriented east-west and at least 53 easy to reconstruct. The inner constructions, however, are variably clear. m long, suggests that Santa Cruz was also fenced. Generally though, these smaller structures include three lines of posts, and two or three additional Other rows of fence posts are also evident at Tank Flip, for instance, around the unique structure perpendicular lines. These posts presumably supported the upper horizontal beams. Posthole posi- 11, between structures 12 and 13, and between structures 3 and 14. This new information about tions in these structures are sometimes different than the «ideal position», but most fit the expected potential fencing needs to be studied more intensively in the future. Along with the fences, radiocar- reconstruction. This reconstruction is suggested, for instance, by structure 8, which is characterized bon dates for Tanki Flip should help better define which structures were used contemporaneously. by a limited number of inner posts in positions that would support roof beams. A number of these smaller oval houses have hearths toward their eastern sides (nos. 1, 2 and 8). Conclusions Only one burial was found in these small houses, a male adult at the perimeter of structure 13 near a Recent excavations undertaken at Tanki Flip have revealed clear evidence of intra-village patterning hearth outside of the house. of structures, fences and a series of ancient gut channels in and around the site. This new and inter- Combinations of small houses used contemporaneously are suggested by lines of postholes, per- esting archaeological information can be compared to ethnographic information for groups elsewhe- haps walls, between sets of similar houses, as evidenced by structures 12 and 13, 1 and 2, and per- re, in particular who faced similar timber limitations. haps 1, 2 and 4. Beyond these house combinations, there seems to be larger groups of houses, such As noted by Wendell Bennett (1941:1), many factors influenced the type of struc-tures built by as malocas 3 and 14, and structures 7 and 8. Structures 5, 6 and 7A may form a group as well. Amerindians, notably including «local environment» (i.e., precipi-tation, wind, heat and cold) as well Unfortunately, the limited stratigraphic information currently available for Tanki Flip makes pre- as «local materials» for building. Using Bennett’s (1943:3) classification, it seems that the Tanki Flip cise chronological conclusions difficult. Eleven radiocarbon samples from the postholes and hearths structures had a «pole construction», employing «light poles or saplings as a structural framework» should help define the intra-site chronology, however. and adding «branches, skin, woven mats, bark, grass or leaves as covering material».

172 173 Many postholes contain charcoal (that will be studied by Lee Newsom for wood species determina- However it is difficult to be sure about these details given the incomplete preservation of the Tanki tion), but unfortunately for the archaeologists, none of the structures were burned down. Flip structures. It is even possible that some or all of the Tanki Flip structures reflect a «frame construction» (Bennett 1944:6). Limited ethnographic information for the Caquetio suggests that their houses were clustered for protection. An account from 1546 reports that the Caquetio «built poor houses and slept in ham- mocks» (Hernandez de Alba 1948:471), but again it is difficult to be sure how this brief report relates to the Tanki Flip structures. Some ethnographic Amerindian groups demonstrate a preference for one habitation type or another rarely combining widely different structural types as seen at Tanki Flip (Bennett 1949; Fenelon Costa and Botelho Malhano 1987). The various structure types at Tanki Flip are thus somewhat enigmatic, perhaps reflecting temporal difference and/or social differences within the site. In the Caribbean pre-Columbian sites where a number of complete floor plans of inhabitation struc- tures have been documented, a comparable combination of round ca 8 m houses and large malocas is found.

Acknowledgements

Various aspects of the Tanki Flip research were undertaken at the University of Maine at Farmington Archaeology Research Center (UMF ARC). The authors would like to thank James B. Petersen for the use of the UMF ARC facilities, as well as for his editorial assistance. They thank Jan Pauptit (Leiden University) for the preparation of the photos.

References cited

Bennett, Wendell C., 1949. Habitations. In The Comparative Ethnology of South American Indians, edited by Julian H. Steward, pp.1-20. Handbook of South American Indians, vol.5. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, D.C. Boerstra, E.H.J., 1982. De precolumbiaanse bewoners van Aruba, Curaçao en Bonaire. Zutphen, 79 pp. Fenelon Costa, Maria H., and Hamilton Botelho Malhano, 1987. A Habitação Indígena Brasileira. In Technologia Indígena, edited by Berta G. Ribeiro, pp. 27-92. SUMA Etnologica Brasileira, vol.2. FINEP, Petropolis. Haviser, J.B., 1991. The First Bonaireans. Reports of the Archaeological-Anthropological Institute of the Netherlands Antilles 10. 266 pp. Heidecker, L., & M.I. Siegel. Preliminary report on the excavation of the Heriquez I site, Tanki Flip, Aruba. Florida Anthropologist 22, 1-4. 12-26 pp. Hernández de Alba, Gregario, 1948. The Tribes of Northwestern Venezuela. In The Circum- Caribbean Tribes, edited by Julian H. Steward, pp. 469-474. Handbook of South American Indians, vol. 4. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, D.C. Figure 1 : The 3 large Dabajuroïd sites in Aruba: Oliver, J.R., 1995. The archaeology of Maticora, Western Venezuela: A prehistoric Longhouse Structure in Site 1 = Tanki Flip FAL-7. Paper presented at the 16th International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology, Guadeloupe. Versteeg, A.H., 1993. Settlement Patterns within the Dabajuroid Santa Cruz site (Aruba). Paper presented at the 2 = Sanya Cruz 15th International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology, Puerto Rico. Internal Report Archaeological 3 = Sabaneta Museum Aruba 13:1-6. Versteeg, Aad H., and Arminda C. Ruiz, 1995. Reconstructing Brasilwood Island: The Archaeology and Landscape of Indian Aruba. Publications of the Archaeological Museum Aruba 6. Oranjestad. 116 pp. Versteeg, A.H. & K. Schinkel (eds.), 1992. The Archaeology of St. Eustatius: The Golden Rock Site. Publications of the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation 2/Publications of the Foundation for Scientific Research in the Caribbean Region 131, St. Eustatius/Amsterdam. 284 pp.

174

ANALYSIS OF THE TANKI FLIP FAUNAL REMAINS 175 Figure 2 : Overview over Tanki Flip site. Axcavated area is ca 48 (S-N) x 50 (E.W) m.

Figure 4 : Tanki flip site, Aruba. The fence, the intra-site guts (= rooien) and 15 structures Figure 3 : One of tne ca 2400 axcavated and sectioned TF features. F. 87 is posthole belonging to Structure 1. 177 176 Figure 6 : Structure 7.One of the more or less circular single family huts of cva 8 m diameter. Features, outer circle, and interior construction. The lines mark the posi- tion of horizontal roof beams.

Figure 5 : Stucture 3, an oval maloca of ca 9x13 m. Features, outer circle and interior construction. Distance between the grid lines is 1 m. An associatred workhut is situated at the NE side. 178 179