NYAME AKUMA No. 82 DECEMBER 2014 Historical Background SIERRA LEONE Bunce Island is unique for several reasons, Archaeological Fieldwork at Bunce including its historical significance with regard to Island: A Slave Trading Entrepôt in Sierra Leone’s intersection with the Atlantic World, Sierra Leone its distinct connections to North America, the site’s excellent preservation, and the unique architectural Christopher R. DeCorse features associated with the slave trade. References Department of Anthropology to Bunce Island’s role in Sierra Leone’s past are Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public prominent in both primary and secondary histori- Affairs cal sources and well illustrate the island’s pivotal Syracuse University role in the region’s history (e.g., Alie 1990; Fyfe Syracuse, NY 13224 1962; Hancock 1997; Kup 1961). At its peak, the
[email protected] fort was the major European slave trading outpost on the West African coast between the Senegam- bia and coastal Ghana. English occupation of the island dates to the 1670s, when the English estab- lished a trading lodge. Variously known as Benns, Introduction Bens, Bunce, Bance, Bence, or George Island, the site remained British, despite periodic attacks by This report details archaeological research the French, pirates, and destruction by a slave trader undertaken in conjunction with cultural resource (Figure 1). management work on Bunce Island, Port Loko District, Sierra Leone. The European fort on the Bunce Island’s apogee was during the sec- island was focus of English and then British trade ond half of the 18th century when it was operated by in the region during the late 17th and 18th centu- two privately owned companies: Grant, Oswald & ries.