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Hondo River Site: an Early Islamic Settlement in Trinidad 64 _________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter: HONDO RIVER SITE: AN EARLY ISLAMIC SETTLEMENT IN TRINIDAD 64 %ULQVOH\6DPDURR$UFKLEDOG&KDXKDUMDVLQJKDQG.R¿$JRUVDK _________________________________________________________________________________ +LVWRULFDODQGDUFKDHRORJLFDODFFRXQWVLQWKH&DULEEHDQDUHZRHIXOO\GHYRLGRIGHVFULSWLRQVDQGGLVFXVVLRQVRIHYLGHQFH WKDWFOHDUO\HVWDEOLVKWKHSUHVHQFHGHYHORSPHQWDQGQDWXUHRI,VODPLFVHWWOHPHQWVDQGPDWHULDOFXOWXUH,Q7ULQLGDGDQG 7REDJRWKHDEVHQFHLQWKHLQYHQWRULHVRIDUFKDHRORJLFDOVLWHVWKDWFRXOGEHFDWHJRUL]HGDV,VODPLFGHSULYHVWKHLVODQG RIWKHULFKPDWHULDOFXOWXUHDVVRFLDWHGZLWK,VODPLFDFWLYLWLHVLQWKHIRUPDWLRQRIWKHFXOWXUHRIWKHLVODQGV7KLVSDSHU GLVFXVVHVWKHKLVWRULFDODQGDUFKDHRORJLFDOVSHFXODWLRQWKDW+RQGR5LYHUVLWHLQWKHFHQWUDOUDLQIRUHVWVRI7ULQLGDGPD\ KROGWKHNH\WRWKHXQUDYHOLQJRIWKHHDUOLHVWPDQLIHVWDWLRQVRI,VODPLFPDWHULDOFXOWXUHRQWKHLVODQGDQGSHUKDSVLQWKH UHJLRQ:KLOHWKHKLVWRULFDOLVVXHVLQGLFDWHWKHVLJQL¿FDQWUROHSOD\HGE\,VODPLFJURXSVLQWKHSDVWWKHDUFKDHRORJLFDO 633 HYLGHQFHRSHQVXSWKHZLQGRZWRZDUGWKHGLVFRYHU\DQGUHFRQVWUXFWLRQRIWKHULFKPDWHULDOFXOWXUHWKDWZRXOGH[SODLQQRW RQO\WKRVHUROHVEXWDOVRWKHFXOWXUDOIRUPDWLRQDQGWUDQVIRUPDWLRQVRQWKHLVODQGV /RVLQIRUPHVDUTXHROyJLFRVHKLVWyULFRVHQHO&DULEHFDUHFHQGHGLVFXVLRQHV\GHVFULSFLRQHVGHODHYLGHQFLDTXHFODUDPHQWH HVWDEOHFHODSUHVHQFLDHOGHVDUUROOR\ODQDWXUDOH]DGHORVDVHQWDPLHQWRVLVOiPLFRV\ODFXOWXUDPDWHULDO(Q7ULQLGDG\ 7REDJRODDXVHQFLDHQORVLQYHQWDULRVGHORVVLWLRVDUTXHROyJLFRVTXHSXGLHUDQVHUFDWHJRUL]DGRVFRPRLVOiPLFRVSULYD DODLVODGHODULFDFXOWXUDPDWHULDODVRFLDGDFRQODVDFWLYLGDGHVLVOiPLFDVHQODIRUPDFLyQGHODFXOWXUDGHODVLVODV (VWDSRQHQFLDGLVFXWHODHVSHFXODFLyQDUTXHROyJLFDHKLVWyULFDGHTXHHOVLWLR5tR+RQGRHQODVHOYDWURSLFDOFHQWUDOGH 7ULQLGDGSXHGDWHQHUODFODYHSDUDDFODUDUODVSULPHUDVPDQLIHVWDFLRQHVGHODFXOWXUDPDWHULDOLVOiPLFDHQODLVOD\TXL]iV HQODUHJLyQ0LHQWUDVORVDVXQWRVKLVWyULFRVVHxDODQHOSDSHOVLJQL¿FDQWHGHVHPSHxDGRSRUORVJUXSRVLVOiPLFRVHQHO SDVDGRODHYLGHQFLDDUTXHROyJLFDDEUHHOFDPLQRKDFLDHOGHVFXEULPLHQWR\ODUHFRQVWUXFFLyQGHODULFDFXOWXUDPDWHULDO TXHH[SOLFDUtDQRVRODPHQWHDTXHOORVSDSHOHVGHVHPSHxDGRVVLQRWDPELpQODIRUPDFLyQFXOWXUDO\ODVWUDQVIRUPDFLRQHV en las islas. /HV FRPSWHV UHQGXV KLVWRULTXHV HW DUFKpRORJLTXHV GDQV OHV &DUDwEHV VRQW WULVWHPHQW H[HPSWV GH GHVFULSWLRQV HW GH GLVFXVVLRQVVXUOHVpYLGHQFHVpWDEOLVVDQWFODLUHPHQWODSUpVHQFHOHGpYHORSSHPHQWHWODQDWXUHG¶LPSODQWDWLRQLVODPLTXHV HWGHO¶pOpPHQWGHFXOWXUH$OD7ULQLWpHW7REDJRO¶DEVHQFHG¶LQYHQWDLUHVGHVLWHVDUFKpRORJLTXHVTXLSRXUUDLHQWrWUH FODVVpVFRPPHVLWHLVODPLTXHSULYHO¶vOHG¶XQULFKHpOpPHQWGHFXOWXUHOLpDX[DFWLYLWpVLVODPLTXHVGDQVOHGpYHORSSHPHQW GHODFXOWXUHGHVvOHV&HWDUWLFOHH[DPLQHODVSpFXODWLRQDUFKpRORJLTXHHWKLVWRULTXHVHORQODTXHOOHOHVLWHGH+RQGR5LYHU GDQVOHVIRUrWVWURSLFDOHVFHQWUDOHVGHOD7ULQLWpSHXWDLGHUDFRQQDvWUHHWFRPSUHQGUHOHVSUHPLqUHVPDQLIHVWDWLRQVGH O¶pOpPHQWGHFXOWXUHLVODPLTXHVXUO¶vOHHWSHXWrWUHPrPHGDQVODUpJLRQ7DQGLVTXHOHVTXHVWLRQVKLVWRULTXHVLQGLTXHQWOH U{OHVLJQL¿FDWLIMRXpSDUOHVJURXSHV,VODPLTXHVGDQVOHSDVVpO¶pYLGHQFHDUFKpRORJLTXHGRQQHXQDSHUoXGHODGpFRXYHUWH HWGHODUHFRQVWUXFWLRQG¶XQULFKHpOpPHQWGHFXOWXUHTXLH[SOLTXHUDLWQRQVHXOHPHQWFHVU{OHVPDLVpJDOHPHQWODIRUPDWLRQ FXOWXUHOOHHWOHVWUDQVIRUPDWLRQVVXUOHVvOHV _ Introduction After the global Napoleonic Wars (1799–1815), the British faced the problem of reducing its massive army, which had been recruited during those years to protect its world-wide empire. Of particular FRQFHUQZHUHWKH:HVW,QGLD5HJLPHQWVFUHDWHGWRJXDUGLWV1HZ:RUOGFRORQLHVDQGWRH[WHQGLWV holdings when the opportunity arose. When these regiments, consisting mainly of free Blacks were GLVEDQGHG WKH\ IDFHG JUHDW GLI¿FXOW\ UHVHWWOLQJ *LYHQ WKH FKDOOHQJH RI ¿QGLQJ KRPHV IRU VRPH 4,000 African-American war veterans from Virginia, Maryland and Georgia of the Anglo-American War of 1812–1815, with only British Honduras and Trinidad open for these newcomers, they were forced to settle in Trinidad. This paper discusses the historical and archaeological consequences of the Muslim veteran group of the West India Regiments, who were settled in an area of wilderness in north-eastern Trinidad, on the banks of the perennially watered Hondo River in the Quaré region of Valencia. The Muslims had apparently requested to be set aside from their Christian brethren to enable them continue their Islamic culture without molestation. The Anglican Clergy took up the conversion of these “heathens” as a special mission and set up institutions to wean the Muslims away from “mahometanism”. Their isolation of the settlement led to increasing hardships for them, later forcing them to accept Christianity, eventually causing them to abandon the settlement in search of more SUR¿WDEOHHPSOR\PHQW7KHIHZZKRSHUVLVWHGPRYHGFORVHUWRWKHVXEXUEVRI3RUWRI6SDLQZKHUH they linked up with small groups of Muslims. Others incorporated Islamic rituals in African-based UHOLJLRQVEURXJKWE\IRUPHUVODYHV7KH¿UVWSDUWRIWKLVSDSHUWUDFHVWKHKLVWRU\RIWKH0XVOLPVLQWKH Hondo River area in the Valencia forest of Trinidad and the second part describes an archaeological H[DPLQDWLRQRIWKDWVLWH 634 The Historical Background In addition to the major dilemma of settling the large black military force which had mustered the ¿JKWVGXULQJWKH1DSROHRQLFZDUVZDVWKHQHHGWRGLVSRVHRIVRPH$IULFDQ$PHULFDQVZKR had abandoned slavery during the Anglo-American War of 1812–1815 by joining the Royal navy to ¿JKWDJDLQVWWKHLUHUVWZKLOHVODYHKROGLQJPDVWHUVLQ(DVW&RDVW$PHULFD0RVWRIWKHVHUHIXJHHVZHUH settled in Canada but some 800 of them, former members of the Colonial Marines were settled in Southern Trinidad in what has, since that time, been named the “Company Villages” or the “Merikan Settlements”.a But this was only a partial solution. There was still the problem of the disposal of the members of the now disbanded West India Regiments who had done yeoman service particularly in the defence of Britain’s New World colonies. These regiments had been recruited from a variety of sources: Free Africans who had been “rescued” after the British ban on slave-trading from 1806, men who had been purchased from West Indian planters and Africans who had been recruited directly from Sierra Leone.b Our particular concern in this paper is with the Muslims who were re-settled in Trinidad and had no desire to see the dilution of their Islamic heritage by settling alongside the other (mainly Baptist) fellow travellers. Under their leader Abu Bakar, they bargained to be allowed to settle on the banks of the Hondo River in the well-watered Quaré area (Figure1). The Muslim request coincided with the colonial administration’s desire to develop the island’s East Coast area, which at that time was covered by almost impenetrable forest, rendering it virtually inaccessible for inspection or for the transport of forest products from that area to the towns towards the capital city. 7KHDUULYDORIWKH+RQGR5LYHUVHWWOHUVLQPLGZDVQRWWKH¿UVW0XVOLPDUULYDOLQWKH colony. By the time of the slave trade Islam had become widespread in West Africa, there were WKHUHIRUH0XVOLPVRQPDQ\VKLSVERXQGIRUWKH&DULEEHDQ,QIRUH[DPSOH&DSWDLQ6WXGKROPH Hodgson a soldier in the Queen’s 19th Foot Regiment in Trinidad met an 85-year-old Mandingo Imam named Slamank on the Marli estate near Port of Spain. Born around 1750, Slamank had been brought to Trinidad in the early 19th century since he reported that he had been enslaved at 35. Now at 85, he wanted to gain freedom and he was certain that the Mandingo community in Port-of-Spain would look after him.c There is also an account of Mohammedu Sisei who had been captured in the Gambia LQDQGEURXJKWWR7ULQLGDGLQZKHUHKHMRLQHGDQDOUHDG\H[LVWLQJ0XVOLPEURWKHUKRRG d Despite a very rigorous campaign to convert all Muslims to the Anglican or Roman Catholic faith, a number of Muslims challenged this hegemony by openly proclaiming their faith. Well into the 1840s, the imam Jonas Mohammed Bath and the co-leaders of their Port of Spain Jamaat wore “the ÀRZLQJZKLWHWXQLFRIWKH,PDP´ZKLOVWIROORZHUVZRUHWKH³FRPPRQUREHRIOLJKWEOXH´e In Trinidad as well as in other American settlements, Muslim slaves obtained copies of the Koran which they WUHDVXUHGWKH\RIWHQVLJQHGSHWLWLRQVLQ$UDELF WKHVDFUHGODQJXDJHRIWKH.RUDQ f On the Hondo River settlement the Imam copied verses of the Koran on scraps of paper, which he then read to his jungle Jamaat, the members of which looked up to him “with the greatest reverence.”g /LIHRQWKH+RQGR5LYHU6HWWOHPHQW The Hondo River settlement was situated in a very fertile undulating area at the foot of Trinidad’s 1RUWKHUQ5DQJHHYHQWRGD\WKDWIHUWLOLW\LVHYLGHQW,Q-XQHDQG-XO\RIDWRWDORISHUVRQV were initially settled. The breakdown was 233 men, 40 women and 34 children. In February 1825, a second contingent of 445 persons was introduced: 376 men, 35 women and 34 children. Governor Woodford who had sponsored the scheme, did his best to make his new wards comfortable. He DUUDQJHGIRUDGDLO\ZDJHRIòSHQFHWREHVHWDVLGHDVDSHQVLRQIRUHDFKRIWKHGHPRELOL]HGVROGLHUV WKLVSHQVLRQZDVWREHJLYHQRXWRQWKH¿UVWGD\RIHDFK\HDUIRUHYHU\GLVEDQGHGVROGLHUZKRZDVDOLYH on that day.h In the interim, efforts were made to stimulate development of the area. Each male settler 635 ZDVJLYHQDFUHVLIVLQJOHDFUHVLIPDUULHGIRUWKH¿UVWIHZZHHNV¶DFFRPPRGDWLRQZDVSURYLGHG and each landholder was given a supply of agricultural tools and seeds and neighbouring Amerindians were employed to clear the land. A major initial problem was the noticeable gender disparity among WKH4XDUpVHWWOHUV7KH&RORQLDO2I¿FHWRRNFRJQL]DQFHRIWKLVGLVSDULW\DQGRIWKHGLVWXUEDQFHVZKLFK FRXOGWDNHSODFHZKHQVLQJOHPHQVRXJKWWR¿QGSDUWQHUVIURPDPRQJWKHVODYHZRPHQRQWKHHVWDWHV In 1820 the Earl of Bathurst (Secretary of State) instructed the Governors of neighbouring islands to send to Trinidad all black
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