Caribbean Prehistoric Domestic Architecture: a Study in Spatio
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2004 Caribbean Prehistoric Domestic Architecture: A Study of Spatio-Temporal Dynamics and Acculturation Shaku Ramcharan Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES CARIBBEAN PREHISTORIC DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE: A STUDY OF SPATIO-TEMPORAL DYNAMICS AND ACCULTURATION By Shaku Ramcharan A thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2004 The members of the Committee approve the thesis of Shaku Ramcharan defended on March 24, 2004. ______________________________________ Rochelle A. Marrinan Professor directing thesis ______________________________________ Michael K. Faught Committee Member ______________________________________ Glen H. Doran Committee Member Approved ___________________________________________________ Dean Falk Chair, Department of Anthropology The office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii For my Mom and Dad who provide me with everything I need to do the little things and God who does everything else. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures..........................................................................................................v List of Tables ....................................................................................................... viii Abstract.................................................................................................................. ix Introduction: Architecture of the First West Indians ...............................................1 Chapter 1. Caribbean Settlements in Prehistory................................................5 Chapter 2. Historic Overview..........................................................................17 Chapter 3. Theoretical Framework..................................................................34 Chapter 4. Analysis of Settlement/Feature Excavation...................................46 Chapter 5. Interpretation..................................................................................71 Conclusion .............................................................................................................87 Appendix A............................................................................................................99 References............................................................................................................110 Biographical Sketch.............................................................................................122 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 0.1 An example of a maloca-style house construction (Hugh-Jones 1985: 81). .................................................................................................................2 Figure 0.2 Model charting the Evolution of house Styles during ceramic age (from Puerto Rico) (Siegel 1999: 230). ...................................................................3 Figure 1.1 Caguana Park, large Taíno ceremonial plaza in Puerto Rico's Utuado region (Alegría 1989:169)...........................................................................7 Figure 1.2 The Caribbean Basin surrounded by the American continent and the Atlantic Ocean (after Quilter 1997:14). .............................................................8 Figure 1.3 Map of the Caribbean showing the culture groups mentioned in the paper (Rouse 1992: 489)..................................................................................10 Figure 1.4 Ceramically defined periods in the Taíno area and their calendrical dates and periods (Rouse 1992: 107). .................................................12 Figure 1.5 Ceramic series in the West Indies for each cultural group within the region. A, Archaic; C, Ceramic; H, Historic; L, Lithic (Rouse 1992: 32). ...............................................................................................................14 Figure 1.6 A caney and a bohio (Drawn from Fernández Oviedo y Valdés Historia general y natural de las indias 1539-48) (Fewkes 1904: 43). .........................................................................................................................16 Figure 2.1 Phylogeny of Arawakan Languages (Rouse 1986:122). ........................................18 Figure 2.2 Advance of the Ceramic-Archaic frontier through the Caribbean (Rouse 1986:135)...................................................................................................19 Figure 3.1 Aerial view of Aifa, a Kalapalo village in central Brazil (Basso 1973:45). ................................................................................................................40 Figure 4.1 St. Eustatius main landscapes and archaeological sites. Corre Corre Bay is the only pre-ceramic area on the island (Versteeg and Schinkel 1992:3) ...........................................................................................51 Figure 4.2 Puerto Rico showing the sites of Maisabel, El Bronce and Playa Blanca-5 (Siegel 1992: 164). ................................................................................52 v Figure 4.3 Map of Barbados showing the location of Settlements: (29) Silver Sands, (19) Heywoods and (33) Hillcrest (Drewett 1998:104) .............................54 Figure 4.4 Map of Cuba showing principal Taíno sites (Moure and de la Calle 1996:21)........................................................................................................56 Figure 4.5 Map of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, showing the Tutu site in relation to other village sites (graphic by Julie Smith) (Righter 2002:10). ................................................................................................................57 Figure 4.6 Post mould from Golden Rock. Chalk infilling of post creates whiting (Versteeg and Schinkel 1992: 164). .........................................................62 Figure 4.7 Heywoods, 1998-99. House Structure 1. Key: P- pot-lined well, B- burial, Black- post wood (Drewett 2000:41). ...................................................64 Figure 4.8 Heywoods Barbados. 1998-99. General plan of site with postholes of three houses, historic structure and Suazoid burial area fence line emphasized in black (Drewett 2000:40)........................................65 Figure 4.9 Burial, 4, Maisabel, Puerto Rico. Individual (male) is in a flexed fetal position lying on its right side. Notice stingray projectile parallel with the ribs (Siegel 1989:235).................................................................66 Figure 4.10 GR-1, Phase 2 occupation: Structure 1, 2, 7 and 8 (Versteeg and Schinkel 1992:207). ...............................................................................................67 Figure 4.11 Tutu settlement layout, c. AD 660-960 (Righter 2002:336). ...............................68 Figure 4.12 Tutu settlement layout, c. AD 1170-1585 (Righter 2002:337). ...........................68 Figure 4.13 A Wood-lined and Pot-lined Well from Heywoods. Wood-lined well (Context 574). Key: Crosshatched, wood. Black, coral rock (Drewett 2000:47, 43)............................................................................................70 Figure 5.1 Reconstruction of an Amerindian settlement from excavations at Hillcrest (Drawn by Lysbeth Drewett) (Drewett 1991).........................................71 Figure 5.2 Baracoa bohio in parts of Havana, Cuba. Made from wood and various palm leaves (Photograph by Jean-Luc de Luguarigue) (Llanes 1999:27). ...................................................................................................78 Figure 5.3 Carib House at Arima, Trinidad (Fewkes 1907:Plate VII).....................................78 Figure 5.4 Puerto Rican House (Fewkes 1907:Plate III). ........................................................78 vi Figure 5.5 Regression plot of floor area from all houses, created from an ethnographic list of South American cultures (Curet 1998:367)...........................82 Figure 6.1 Round Akawaio maloca style houses in Guyana (ca. 1842) (Versteeg 1998)......................................................................................................90 Figure 6.2 Waiwai family in their hammocks (Farabee 1924:Plate VII). ...............................95 Figure 6.3 Heywoods, Barbados. House Structure 3 from 1998-99 (Same Key as Figure 4.16) (Drewett 2000:43). ................................................................96 Figure A.1 Post Mold distribution and location of hearth from Playa Blanca 5, Puerto Rico (Curet 1992: 166).........................................................................104 Figure A.2 El Bronce - Post mold distribution for Locus 1 and 2 (Curet 1992: 167). ...........................................................................................................104 Figure A.3 GR-1 S3, Phase 1 occupation, Burial 11 (Versteeg and Schinkel 1992: 206). ...........................................................................................................105 Figure A.4 Hillcrest 1988 Post Structure Features (Drewett 1989: 111)...............................105 Figure A.5 GR-1 S5, Phase 3 occupation, Burial 11 (Versteeg and Schinkel 1992:207). ............................................................................................................106