sign in sign up
<<
Home , Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda

PREHISTORIC BASKETRY FROM AND , NORTHERN LESSER ,

James B. Petersen, David R. Watters, and Desmond V. Nicholson

ABSTRACT Rare Amerindian ceramics from the northern preserve evidence of prehistoric basketry, or "textiles," as impressions on them. This indirect evidence of basketry from at least three sites in Antigua and several sites in Montserrat includes all three major structural types of basketry, namely coiling, plaiting and twining. These are discussed in this paper, along with tentative dating given their ceramic associations and site contexts. Regional correlations are also reviewed and the role of these incompletely known native fiber industries among prehistoric Amerindian groups is briefly sketched.

RESUME Quelques rares fragments de céramique amérindienne des Petites Antilles septentrionales ont préservé des traces de vannerie préhistorique ou de "tissage" sous la forme d'impressions dans l'argile. Ces vestiges indirects de panniers provenant d'au moins trois gisements d'Antigua et de plusieurs sites de Montserrat comprennent les trois principaux types de vannerie, c'est-à-dire spiralée, tissée et cordée. Cette communication discute de ces techniques de même que de leur datation préliminaire sur la base de leurs associations céramiques et de leurs contextes archéologiques. Des corrélations régionales seront proposées de même qu une esquisse du rôle de ces techniques encore mal connues de fibres indigènes parmi ces groupes amérindiens.

RESUMEN Cerámicas raras amerindias de las Antillas Menores norteñas se preservan evidencia de canastas prehistóricas, o "textil," como impresiones en ellas. Esta evidencia indirecta de canastas de por lo menos tres sitios en Antigua y varios sitios en Montserrat se incluyen todos de los tres mayores tipos estructurales de canastas, específicamente costurado, cruzado, y torcido. Estos son discutidos en este ensayo, junto con fechado tentativo según sus asociaciones cerámicas y contextos de sitio. También se revisan correlaciones regionales y se esboza el papel incompletamente conocido de estas industrias de fibras nativas entre grupos prehistóricos amerindios.

KEY WORDS: Antigua, Basketry, Montserrat, Textiles.

INTRODUCTION

Amerindian material culture from me West Indies is best represented by the copious hand- built ceramics that are present at most sites attributed to the Ceramic period (or age). Conversely, evidence of native fiber industries, including basketry, or "textiles," among other forms, is very rare across the insular West Indies and the broader region overall. Characterized by horticultural, pottery-making groups over most of the region, die Ceramic period spanned nearly 2000 years, from ca. 500 B.C. to die demise of most natives shortly after the arrival of Europeans ca. A.D. 1492 in the West Indies. Ethnohistoric information and rare artifacts document some of die high level of sophistication and diversity of native fiber industries in the West Indies at the time of European contact, but very few details are known. To date, archaeological evidence of comparable

63 th 64 Proceedings of the 17 Congress for Caribbean Archaeology artifacts has been largely lacking or overlooked by most researchers. This paper represents our joint efforts to help address this deficit. Using all archaeological specimens known to us from Antigua and Montserrat, two nearby in the northern Lesser Antilles, this analysis documents the presence of all three major classes of basketry (coiling, plaiting and twining), among local populations during the (or Early Ceramic) period and perhaps the post-Saladoid (or Late Ceramic) period as well. A total of 15 different specimens of basketry from at least five archaeological sites in Antigua and Montserrat have been reconstructed as positive casts from negative impressions preserved on ceramics of various sorts. Most of the ceramics from which positive casts of basketry were derived clearly represent griddles, but one or more other vessel forms may be represented, along with clear evidence of a ceramic mask. This paper proceeds from a brief discussion of analytical criteria for basketry analysis, to the sites from which specimens have been reconstructed and their dating. It then presents summary details for the 15 basketry specimens and reviews the correlations of these specimens in West Indian prehistory and ethnohistory. Finally, preliminary consideration is also given to the role of these incompletely known fiber industries among Amerindian groups across the region.

ANALYTICAL CRITERIA

Native fiber industries are poorly known in archaeological contexts wide, with the exception of some arid settings and other unusual conditions that have permitted their preservation (such as carbonization, mineralization, water logging and impression on ceramics, among others). Consequently, native fiber industries typically have been little studied even where they can be recovered directly or indirectly reconstructed, as in the West Indies 'and the broader Caribbean region. Analytical criteria for their study have been incompletely developed as a result. Basketry represents one major class of native fiber industries. Sometimes labeled as "textiles," along with other relatively complicated woven crafts such as cordage, complex cordage constructions and fabrics, basketry includes three different construction techniques, namely coiling, plaiting and twining. It should be emphasized that there are no completely standard terms for the analysis of basketry, or "textiles," but the discussion here is based on several useful references (Adovasio 1977; Petersen 1996). Coiling represents a technique somewhat akin to one form of hand-built ceramic manufacture by which a cylindrical element is built up upon itself, in the case of basketry employing typically sewn stitches of some sort to lock the coils together. When this technique is employed, flat or cylindrical, rigid forms such as mats or containers typically result. Plaiting, on the other hand, involves the interweaving of at least two sets of elements to form a woven structure that is either flat or cylindrical in form but less often rigid. When employing fine, flexible elements, this technique can be used to produce fabrics, but often plaiting is used for mats or containers. Twining is produced by engaging inactive elements, or "warps," with generally perpendicular active elements, or "wefts"; twining is used to produce a wide variety of forms, more often flexible than coiling or plaiting when used in basketry. Peterson, Waiters, and Nicholson 65

AMERINDIAN SITES AND DATING

The 15 basketry specimens described herein were recovered from at least five sites in Antigua and Montserrat, including 12 specimens from at least three sites in Antigua and three specimens from two sites in Montserrat (Figure 1). One of the specimens from Antigua has an unknown origin and it was possibly recovered from one of the three sites that produced the other 11 specimens, or possibly it came from still another site. In any case, the 12 Antiguan specimens came from a minimum of three sites, including Cades Bay (site number AN-MA7), Indian Creek (AN- PA4) and Winthorpe' s Bay West ( AN-GE6), with all but one specimen clearly from these three sites. Ten of these specimens are curated by the Museum of Antigua and , and two others are curated at Yale University. The three Montserratian specimens originated at the Dagenham Beach (MS-A2) and Trants (MS-G1) sites; the single specimen from Dagenham Beach is curated by the Montserrat National Trust, currently on loan to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH), while the Trants specimens are in the collection of the CMNH. The derivation of each of these samples is briefly outlined below. Of the Antiguan sites, Indian Creek (AN-PA4) is by far the best understood, with sizeable excavations conducted there in the 1970s by Yale University and the Antigua Archaeological Society. Indian Creek is both a Saladoid (or Early Ceramic) and post-Saladoid (or Late Ceramic) period site, with dated occupations ranging from ca. A.D. 35 to A.D. 1305. The site includes the Indian Creek, Mill Reef and Marmora Bay complexes over most or all of this span (Morse and Rouse 1999; Nicholson 1994; Rouse 1974). Although most of the deposits are attributable to the Saladoid period Indian Creek complex (or period), the origin of the basketry-impressed specimens is uncertain in terms of their antiquity, except for the two Yale University specimens. They are more conclusively assigned to the Saladoid period. However, all of the specimens originated in the joint excavations of the 1970s. Thus, a minimum of seven Indian Creek casts, all found on of ceramic griddles, are of uncertain age, and two other griddle casts are attributed to the Saladoid period (B. Faber Morse, personal communication 1997). A tenth specimen of uncertain origin from Antigua may be also attributable to Indian Creek, but this is uncertain; it too is found on the bottom of a griddle sherd. Two other known sites in Antigua have produced single basketry specimens in each case, including the lesser well known sites of Cades Bay (AN-MA7) and Winthorpe's Bay West (AN- GE6). The Cades Bay site is of uncertain temporal affiliation, whereas the Winthorpe's Bay site is partially attributable to the Saladoid (or Early Ceramic) period, but also includes a Mill Reef component (DeMille et al. 1999). Given the context of the specimen, however, it is likely related to the Saladoid period. The Cades Bay site has not been dated (see Nicholson 1994). The Cades Bay basketry specimen is from a ceramic griddle, whereas the Winthorpe's Bay specimen is probably from a griddle. In Montserrat, two basketry specimens are known from Trants (MS-G1), a well-known Saladoid (or Early Ceramic) site which has been dated from ca. 480 B.C. to A.D. 500, covering much, if not all, of the Saladoid period (Petersen and Waiters 1991,1995; Watters 1980). In fact, one of the Trants specimens, found on the bottom of a probable griddle sherd, originated in a 1990 test unit stratigraphically between dates of 440 B.C. and A.D. 60, making it attributable to the early portion of the Saladoid period (Petersen and Watters 1995). The second Trants specimen is associated with an unknown vessel form (perhaps not a griddle); it was recovered by Nicholson in th 66 Proceedings of the 17 Congress for Caribbean Archaeology

1992 from the edge of a small borrow pit in a disturbed context, but it too is certainly attributable to the Saladoid period. The other basketry specimen from Montserrat originated at the Dagenham Beach site (MS- A2) in a likely (but undated) Saladoid period context. Prior to its localized disturbance in 1984, a Peace Corp worker, Robert Bell, and volunteers salvaged Dagenham Beach, in part (Bell 1985; Watters 1980). The single basketry specimen from Dagenham Beach was later found on the back of some sort of fragmentary ceramic mask, quite likely representing a stylized human face. The mask had been modeled against the basketry in other words and is a unique and enigmatic find in local contexts.

AMERINDIAN BASKETRY ANALYSIS

The 15 specimens of prehistoric Amerindian basketry are all preserved as negative impressions on ceramics and reconstructed as positive casts. They include all three major classes of basketry construction, namely coiling, plaiting and twining. Each of these construction techniques, with subclasses in the case of the plaiting, is described sequentially below. Complete details will be presented elsewhere.

Coiling A single specimen of coiling is represented in the available sample; it originated at the Indian Creek site (AN-PA4). It appears to be close coiling, with a bundle foundation and relatively rigid, noninterlocking stitches, although this is difficult to discern (Figure 2). Given the gentle curvature evident in the cast, this may have been some sort of large, flat mat in terms of its original form and function.

Plaiting A total of 11 specimens in the available sample represent different forms of plaiting, including eight specimens from Indian Creek (AN-PA4), one from Cades Bay (AN-MA7), one from Winthorpe's Bay West (AN-GE6) and one from Trants (MS-G1). Both coarse simple plaiting and finer forms of twill plaiting are represented. The coarse simple plaiting employs elements ca. 10-20 mm in width (Figure 3), while the finer twill plaiting employs elements only ca. 1.3-4.2 mm wide (Figure 4). There are at least several types represented among the twill plaiting, including 2/2 intervals, 3/3 intervals and a combination thereof, producing several different wall patterns. At least two different vegetal raw materials are apparently represented among the plaiting, with the coarser simple plaiting made from leaves of some sort and the finer twill plaiting made from what appear to have been splints. In all cases, the plaited specimens likely were mats, or perhaps broken fragments of baskets per se.

Twining Three specimens represent twining, with single specimens from an unknown site in Antigua (perhaps Indian Creek?) (Figure 5), and the Trants (MS-G1) and Dagenham Beach (MS-A2) sites in Montserrat. All three specimens are remarkably similar to each other; in each case they are close apparently simple twining with a final Z-weft slant and a probable S-spin. The wefts are relatively fine in each case, ca. 1.5-2.5 mm wide, and the warps remain unknown because of the close spacing Peterson, Walters, and Nicholson 67 of the wefts. It is likely in all cases that these were made from fine fibers such as cotton given the size of the visible fibers and the regularity of the wefts. All three represent relatively fine basketry, or fabrics. The uniformity of these specimens is notable, especially as regards the weft slant, suggesting a common ethnic origin.

CORRELATIONS IN WEST INDIAN PREHISTORY AND ETHNOHISTORY

The prehistoric Amerindian basketry specimens described in this analysis are not the first archaeological examples known from the West Indies and the broader Caribbean. However, they are among the first to be systematically described and reported anywhere in the Caribbean, along with other examples from recently reported by Mary Jane Berman and a colleague (Berman and Hutcheson 1997). Generally comparable examples have been previously mentioned from other settings in the Lesser Antilles, the and the Bahamas. Nonetheless, with the exception of the Bahamas, Amerindian populations all across the region do not seem to have regularly made their ceramics using basketry as a base for construction, such that they preserved negative impressions of basketry on them. In spite of likely problems of recognition, it seems obvious that archaeological examples of basketry are indeed rare in most times and places across the region. Some of the earliest ceramics known in , the Rancho Peludo style of the Dabajuroid series, dated ca. 2000 B.C to A.D. 300, exhibit "fabric-impressed" bottoms, apparently in some cases a form of twining (Rouse and Cruxent 1963:20,48, Plate 9B). Later Camoruco style ceramics, associated with the Arauquinoid series and dated ca. A.D. 1100-1500, also exhibit occasional basketry impressions, specifically twill plaiting on the basis of a published illustration (Cruxent and Rouse 1959:Plate 87). Elsewhere in the South American Lowlands, other examples of basketry, often plaiting of some sort, are found in ceramic samples of comparable antiquity over the past few millennia (e.g., Evans and Meggers 1960:306, 309, Plate 67). In the islands of the West Indies, the earliest ceramics are generally attributable to the Saladoid series and of these, some clearly preserve basketry impressions. For example, the Diamant site in has produced evidence of Saladoid occupation (Mattioni and Bullen 1970) and basketry impressions are found on the bottom of some griddles from Diamant. Analysis of one specimen from Diamant curated at Yale University suggests it too is clearly a twill-plaited basket. Elsewhere, Chanlatte Baik (1984:31 -32) notes that weaving and basketry impressions on the bottom of griddles are distinctly characteristic of his "Agro-F or Huecoid complex, or what might be termed the Huecan Saladoid series. In any case, this complex is dated to the early Saladoid (or Early Ceramic) period, shortly before the Christian era to slightly after its beginning, in Vieques. Both twining and twill plaiting seem clearly represented among the Huecan materials on the basis of published photographs and examination of several examples from the type site of La Hueca on display at the University of (Chanlatte Baik 1984:Plate 14). As exhibited in a local museum, Petersen examined a collection of comparably early ceramics from the Hope Estate site in French St. Martin that included other examples of basketry- impressed griddles. These are related to the early Saladoid (or Early Ceramic) period in general and twill plaiting is present, if not characteristic, there too. Other comparable examples are known from the later Saladoid Golden Rock site in St. Eustatius as well (M. Hoogland, personal communication 1993). 68 Proceedings of the 17th Congress for Caribbean Archaeology

Curiously, as Chanlatte Baik has noted, few later, post-Saladoid (or Late Ceramic) pottery vessels in the Lesser and Greater Antilles seem to exhibit basketry impressions. This may be merely a product of incomplete recognition and reporting, however, since there are a few apparently later examples of basketry impression known, such as some from , for example (Barton 1953:62- 64). This matter bears further scrutiny in the future. Notably, the only Caribbean ceramics of any age that regularly exhibit basketry impressions are those known as Palmetto ware in the Bahamas (Granberry and Winter 1995). These ceramics are said to be poorly made and often seem to exhibit basketry impressions on their bottoms, when their generally crumbly condition allows determination of this attribute, that is. Using published references for collections dated ca. A.D. 850-1370, twill plaiting seems well represented, along with other forms, in the Bahamian samples from Cat Island and , among others (e.g., Berman and Hutcheson 1997; Granberry and Winter 1995:9; Hoffman 1970:12-13; MacLaury 1970:Plate 8; Rose 1982:134, Figure 3). As seen elsewhere, these impressions apparently occur typically on griddles. We look forward to learning more about comparable examples from the Bahamas through the ongoing work of Berman and her colleagues. Before closing this brief review of Amerindian basketry and other textiles from the Caribbean, some consideration should be also given to the ethnohistoric record, as limited as it is. In fact, ethnohistoric data suggest that the general paucity of basketry among archaeological collections from the broad Caribbean is almost certainly not fully reflective of its diverse functions among Amerindian groups region wide, along with other native fiber artifacts. For example, several surviving ethnohistoric artifacts from the Taino of the Greater Antilles suggest that basketry and textiles played more than a strictly economic role among the Amerindians. These include several idols made in part from woven material and a comparably woven belt. The larger of the idols, made of twined cotton, shell and a human skull, among other components, is known as the "Algodón zemf'; it is late prehistoric or early historic in age (Vega 1971-1972). This idol documents a whole category of sacred/ceremonial artifacts that do not typically survive in the archaeological record. A second presumed idol incorporates complicated weaving of some sort, apparently cotton twining, with wood, rhinoceros horn (from Africa), and shell and glass beads, indicating an early historic date around A.D. 1515. Like the first idol, this specimen reflects a very high degree of artistry (Taylor 1997:48; Vega 1973). Finally, a presumed early historic belt, perhaps brought to as one of the original components of the "treasure" of Columbus, is another masterpiece of Taino art, again incorporating shell and presumed twining of fiber (Vega 1973). This specimen once again documents the unequivocal richness of basketry and textile industries in general among the Amerindians of the Caribbean region. Speaking broadly of early historic Amerindian basketry in the West Indies, including Taino and Island Carib industries, Joyce (1916:245, following Fewkes 1907:212-214) reports:

Of the basket-work made by the islanders we know very little, save that it was of good quality. Baskets were used for a variety of purposes, most of which have been mentioned..., e.g., for straining the juice of the cassava, for storing and carrying food, for containing the skulls of the dead, and so forth. Some of the baskets were so finely woven that liquids could be carried in them; this pattern was Peterson, Watters, and Nicholson 69

double, one basket within another, the space being lined with leaves. String and cordage for nets and other purposes were made from the henequén [agave] fibre, obtained from the leaves of the plant, which were soaked for several days in a stream, weighted with stones. They were then stretched and dried in the sun, beaten with a stick, and the fibres were picked out, twisted into cord, and beaten again to render them pliant. Cotton was spun and woven, and, as we have seen, much of the scanty clothing worn by the natives consisted of this material. Cotton thread and textiles were found in some quantities by the early visitors, and Fernando Columbus states that in one hut on more than 12,000 lbs. of cotton was discovered. In too, a great deal of cotton was found in the native dwellings, together with 'a new variety of loom' on which it was woven.

Obviously, very few Amerindians survive today in the West Indies, with the exception of a relatively small number of Island Caribs, especially in . The Island Caribs still manufacture fine basketry and other fiber industries, but these have been incompletely reported as far as we know (e.g., Taylor and Moore 1948; Wilcox 1973). In spite of the relatively fine quality of the modern forms, cursory comparison of Island Carib industries with those of the archaeological record suggests both long-term continuities, especially in the continued use of plaiting, as well as simplification in some aspects. Curiously, the most labor-intensive technique, twining, seems to have dropped out of production.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, this collaborative, ongoing research into prehistoric basketry in the West Indies was initiated after the senior author met Desmond Nicholson in 1990 through the second author. Desmond's initial recognition of basketry on Amerindian ceramics from Antigua spurred a broader look at this important, but often overlooked, aspect of Amerindian material culture by all three authors. This review has included many samples from , Antigua, Barbuda, and Montserrat. The fact that we have identified only 15 specimens out of literally tens of thousands of ceramic sherds (and many vessels) over the past 10-20 years or so suggests that ceramic vessels were only very rarely manufactured using basketry in the northern Lesser Antilles. In fact, all available evidence suggests that basketry may have been used as a base for ceramic manufacture largely, or solely, during the Saladoid (or Early Ceramic) period, at least in this . However, this remains to be verified. Beyond the rarity of basketry impressions on ceramics in the northern Lesser Antilles, the fact that the total available sample includes only 15 specimens means that we cannot fully reconstruct the nature and breadth of local native fiber industries. Nonetheless, the presence of all three major classes of basketry (coiling, plaiting and twining), in this small sample suggests that this industry was quite diversified in local contexts. On the basis of the sample from Antigua and Montserrat; materials used in local basketry were both highly modified and little modified vegetal fibers, as well as both very fine and coarse fibers. With finer grained analysis of other samples, it is likely that more can be learned about raw material variations, although this is notoriously difficult 70 Proceedings of the 17th Congress for Caribbean Archaeology

in most cases where specimens exist only as positive casts made from negative impressions. When compared with other known regional samples, broad-scale continuities are also demonstrated between the local specimens and others elsewhere, especially in the common presence of twill plaiting virtually in all areas of the West Indies. Although this may be merely a product of the type of basketry employed as a base for ceramic manufacture (out of a broader range of basket types), this preference for plaiting, alternatively, may well reflect Amerindian ethnicity as it was brought to and maintained over time in the West Indies. Comparison with the modern and ethnohistoric basketry of Amerindians from the South American Lowlands might shed light on this issue, but it lies beyond the scope of this paper. Finally, the small sample of twining, only including three examples from three sites, provides further evidence of ethnic continuity on the basis of the common use of Z-weft slants in all cases. Like cordage twist, weft slants are typically quite uniform within a given (Petersen 1996). The fact that all three of these specimens are the same provides some evidence that basketry- making traditions on both islands were shared between them. This topic too deserves additional study in the future.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Various people at the Museum of , the Montserrat National Trust, the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) Archaeology Research Center and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History are thanked for their support of the research reported here. In addition, Birgit Faber Morse and Irving Rouse kindly provided access to two specimens in the Indian Creek collection curated at Yale University. At UMF, Shirley Thompson is thanked for her help with preparation of the original manuscript and Fred Dearnley prepared the photographs from negatives produced by Petersen; at the University of Vermont, Cindy Longwell helped with final production of the manuscript. Louis Allaire and Luis Vivanco kindly translated the abstract into French and Spanish, respectively. Waiters produced the map and Nicholson provided the spark that initiated the overall endeavor. Peterson, Watters, and Nicholson 71

REFERENCES CITED

Adovasio, J.M. 1977 Basketry Technology: A Guide to Identification and Analysis. Aldine, Chicago.

Barton, G.T. 1953 The Prehistory of Barbados. Advocate Company, Barbados.

Bell, R. 1985 Preliminary Study of the Dagenham Beach Site (MS-A2): A Prehistoric Burial and Occupation Site in Plymouth, Montserrat. Ms. on file, Montserrat National Trust.

Berman, M.J., and CD. Hutcheson 1997 Basketry-Impressed Sherds: To Weave and to Eat in the Bahamas. Paper presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Nashville.

Chanlatte Baik, L. 1984 Arqueología de Vieques. Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Rio Piedras.

Cruxent, J.F., and I. Rouse 1959 Arqueología Cronológica de Venezuela. Union Panamericana Estudios Monográficos 6. Washington, D.C.

DeMille, C, A.R. Murphy, and P.F. Healy 1999 Preliminary Archaeological Investigations at Winthorpe's Bay, Antigua. In Proceedings of the 17th International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology,.edited by J. Winter, pp. 105-121. Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY.

Evans, C, and B.J. Meggers 1960 Archeological Investigations in . Bulletin No. 177. Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Fewkes, J.W. 1907 The Aborigines of Porto Rico and Neighboring Islands. Bulletin No. 25. Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Granberry, J., and J. Winter 1995 Bahamian Ceramics. In Proceedings of the XV International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology, edited by R.E. Alegria and M. Rodriguez, pp. 3-13. Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, San Juan. th 72 Proceedings of the 17 Congress for Caribbean Archaeology

Hoffman, C.A. 1970 The Palmetto Grove Site on San Salvador, Bahamas. In Contributions of the Florida State Museum, Social Sciences, vol. 16, edited by R.P. Bullen, pp. 1-26. University of Florida, Gainesville.

Joyce, T.A. 1916 Central American and West Indian Archaeology. G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York.

MacLaury, J.C. 1970 Archaeological Investigations on Cat Island, Bahamas. In Contributions of the Florida State Museum, Social Sciences, vol. 16, edited by R.P. Bullen, pp. 27-50. University of Florida, Gainesville.

Mattioni, M., and R.P. Bullen 1970 A Chronological Chart for the Lesser Antilles. In Proceedings of the Third International Congress for the Study of Pre-Columbian Cultures of the Lesser Antilles, edited by R.P. Bullen, pp. 1-3. National Museum, St. George's.

Morse, B.F., and I. Rouse 1997 Zic Ware Finds from the Indian Creek Site, Antigua. In Proceedings of the 17h Congress for Caribbean Archaeology, edited by J. Winter, pp. 136-147. Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY.

Nicholson, D.V. 1994 The Archaeology of Antigua and Barbuda. Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, St. John's.

Petersen, J.B. (editor) 1996 A Most Indispensable Art: Native Fiber Industries from Eastern . University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

Petersen, J.B., and D.R. Watters 1991 Archaeological Testing at the Early Saladoid Trants Site, Montserrat, West Indies. In Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology, edited by A. Cummins and P. King, pp. 286-305. Barbados Museum and Historical Society, Barbados. 1995 A Preliminary Analysis of Amerindian Ceramics from the Trants Site, Montserrat. In Proceedings of'theXVInternational Congress for Caribbean Archaeology, edited by R.E. Alegría and M. Rodriquez, pp. 131-140. Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, San Juan.

Rose, R. 1982 The Pigeon Creek Site, San Salvador, Bahamas. Florida Anthropologist 35(4)-129- 145. Peterson, Watters, and Nicholson 73

Rouse, I. 1974 The Indian Creek Excavations. In Proceedings of the Fifth International Congress for the Study of Pre-Columbian Cultures of the Lesser Antilles, edited by R.P. Bullen, pp. 166-176. Antigua Archaeological Society, St. John's.

Rouse, I., and J.M. Cruxent 1963 Venezuelan Archaeology. Yale University Press, New Haven.

Taylor, D. 1997 The Art of the Taino. In Taino: Pre-Columbian Art and Culture from the Caribbean, edited by F.Bercht, E.Brodsky, J.A. Farmer and D. Taylor, pp. 41-48. The Monacelli Press, New York.

Taylor, D., and H.C. Moore 1948 A Note on Dominican Basketry and its Analogues. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology 4(3):328-343.

Vega, B. 1971-1972 Descubrimiento de la Actual Localizacion del Unico Zemi de Algodón Antillano Aun Existente. Revista Dominicana de Arqueología y Antropología 11(2&3):88-110. 1973 Un Cinturon Tejido y una Careta de Madera de , del Periodo de Transculturacion Taino-Español. Boletín del Museo del Hombre Dominicano 3:199- 226.

Watters, D.R. 1980 Transect Surveying and Prehistoric Site Locations on Barbuda and Montserrat, , West Indies. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh.

Wilcox, U.V. 1973 The Island Caribs and Their Basketry. Indian Notes 9(4) : 111 -115. MONTSERRAT ANTIGUA

N

2 km 3 km

Figure 1. Location of prehistorie Amerindian sites in Antigua and Montserrat producing basketry impress Figure 3. Positive cast of coarse plaited Figure 2. Positive cast of coiled basketry from basketry from the Indian Creek site in the Indian Creek site in Antigua. Antigua. th 76 Proceedings of the 17 Congress for Caribbean Archaeology

m