Status and Identity on a Smallholder Caribbean Plantation: An Archaeological Perspective Brianna Mayer Honors Thesis in the Department of Anthropology University of Michigan April 2016 Abstract Enslaved people rarely wrote their own stories; instead their lives were most often described in the written records of their masters and overseers. For small plantations and areas with scarce archival records, archaeology provides a crucial window into the daily life of enslaved populations. Yet both small plantations and plantations in the Caribbean are understudied. This research examines the social and economic status of individuals living on a sugar plantation on Great Camanoe in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) during the late-18th to mid-19th centuries – a transitional time in the British plantation economy. By comparing the artifacts in two habitation contexts, a better understanding of how the enslaved and planter negotiated their identities can be gained. Identity is ephemeral and abstract, yet identity produces tangible realities, and these realities have material consequences. On small or poor plantation sites, differences in power are less distinct archaeologically when compared with wealthy plantations, where social hierarchies are clearly defined by differences in living spaces and material possessions. This study examines artifacts found in different contexts to examine how identity was symbolized and negotiated through material culture. Although similar artifacts were found in both structures, differences in the presences and absence of certain types of items indicate the subtle ways in which social status and identity were displayed by the inhabitants of this plantation. 2 Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. John Chenoweth at the University of Michigan in Dearborn, who allowed a student he had never met before into his lab and office to study this collection of artifacts, and for his guidance throughout my thesis project. Without his willingness to answer questions, thoughtful and constructive criticism, unfailing support and access to this collection my project would not have been possible! Thank you also to my thesis advisor Dr. Robin Beck in Ann Arbor, for always pointing me in the right direction; to this collection, key references, or new ideas. Without your helpful nudges or advice on both analysis and writing I would never have been able to make sense of it all. Thank you to both Dr. Beck, and to my graduate student mentor Travis Williams for reading and editing my countless clumsy first attempts at writing this thesis, and for helping me when I began to feel the inevitable writer’s block. To Dr. Lisa Young, a special thanks for being a constant mentor and role model throughout my college career. From my first archaeology class at the university with you to completing a thesis this year I have always left your office and your classroom feeling extremely motivated and inspired. Your accessibility to students and enthusiasm about archaeology drew me to the major and inspired me to pursue a career in archaeology, and I feel very grateful to have had you as a professor. I would also like to thank Reese Cook at the St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research for giving me my first taste of Caribbean archaeology, and to Dr. Sueann Caulfield and Dr. Rebecca Scott for igniting my intellectual curiosity and desire to study both this region and the tumultuous colonial history it has faced. To my parents, thank you always for your overwhelming support and willingness to help me achieve whatever goal I may have throughout my college career, and for always fostering whatever passion I develop next. Thank you Beau, for being the most steadfast and optimistic partner I could have ever asked for during the long days and late nights I spent on this project. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... 4 List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ 5 List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 7 The Archaeology of Plantations, Identity, Race and Religion ................................................. 8 The Archaeology of Plantations ......................................................................................... 8 Archaeology of Identity, Race, and Religion ....................................................................11 Status and Consumption .......................................................................................12 Ritual and Religion on Plantations ...................................................................... 13 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 14 The History of Plantations in the BVI ......................................................................................15 Archaeology in the BVI ....................................................................................................18 The Island of Great Camanoe ................................................................................................... 19 Archival Evidence ............................................................................................................ 20 The Great Camanoe Plantation Site ........................................................................................ 23 Structure A and Structure F ............................................................................................. 24 Dating the Site .................................................................................................................. 27 Summary .......................................................................................................................... 32 Comparative Analysis and Results ........................................................................................... 32 Lab Work and Cataloging ................................................................................................ 33 Artifacts Recovered ......................................................................................................... 34 Ceramics and Glass ............................................................................................. 35 Metal and Domestic Artifacts .............................................................................. 38 Faunal ................................................................................................................. 42 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 46 Interpretations: The Enslaved and Planter on Great Camanoe ........................................... 46 The History of the Site .................................................................................................... 46 A Comparison of Structure A and Structure F ................................................................ 47 Status on the Plantation ...................................................................................... 47 Foodways and Identity ........................................................................................ 49 Concealed Objects and the Early Occupation of Structure F .......................................... 50 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 54 Future Directions ............................................................................................................. 55 Final Thoughts ................................................................................................................. 55 References ................................................................................................................................... 57 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................. 60 Appendix B ................................................................................................................................. 74 4 List of Tables Table 1. Mean Ceramic Dates for Structures A and F ................................................................. 28 Table 2. Ceramic Types, Ware, and Counts in Structure A and Structure F .............................. 36 Table 3. Domestic Artifacts on Great Camanoe .......................................................................... 41 Table 4. Frequency of Quartz in Structure F by Unit .................................................................. 41 Table 5. Shell Identifications and Possible Uses on Great Camanoe .......................................... 43 Table 6. Ubiquity of Edible Shell in Structures A and F ............................................................. 44 Table