Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 12-2006 The Analysis of Ceramic Symbolism from the First Street Site in Barbados Aya Hashimoto Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Hashimoto, Aya, "The Analysis of Ceramic Symbolism from the First Street Site in Barbados" (2006). Master's Theses. 3863. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3863 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ANALYSIS OF CERAMIC SYMBOLISM FROM THE FIRST STREET SITE IN BARBADOS by Aya Hashimoto A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 2006 @2006 Aya Hashimoto ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Michael S. Nassaney for taking the time to discuss with me his perception of the topics contained herein. His guidance. and advice on organizing my thoughts were invaluable and necessary to complete this work. I also thank the members of my graduate committee, Dr. Laura Spielvogel and Dr. Frederick H. Smith for taking the time to review my work, and lending important advice. In addition, I would also like to thank my friends Adriana, Cleothia, and Maxwell who supported me in finishing my work. Aya Hashimoto II THE ANALYSIS OF CERAMIC SYMBOLISM FROM THE FIRST STREET SITE IN BARBADOS Aya Hashimoto, M.A. Western Michigan University2006 The expression of race and racism in material culture is of increasing interest in historical archaeology ( e.g., Epperson 1990, 1999, 2000; Mullins 1996, 1999). This study investigates 6 ceramic sherds from one vessel associated with a white urban domestic site on First Street, in Holetown Barbados. This vessel conveys a racist message. A black slave in a loincloth serving tea to a white person is transfer printed on the ceramic. The ceramic seems to be an annular designed pearlware from England in the first half of the 19th century. By interpreting the meanings of the ceramic decoration, this study aims to explore history and slavery in Barbados, the archaeology of race, and ceramic symbolism. Material culture is active because it is used to create, express, and transform social structure. In such a process, objects transmit certain messages to particular audiences. This study focuseson interpreting the symbolic meanings of the ceramic decoration to whites, and reconstructing circumstances of the ceramic, especially the contemporary relationships between whites and blacks. By doing so, my study attempts to reveal how material culture served to reproduce race relations in Barbados in the early 19th century. My research mainly involves examining historical documents on Barbados to understand its social and cultural context, and art/museum collection books and Internet sites to gain information about the image of black servants and tea drinking. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................ 11 LIST OF TABLES........................................................................ V LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................... VI CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................... II. LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................ 6 History of Slavery in Barbados.............................................. 6 Approaches to Ethnicity and Race in the Archaeology of Plantation Slavery.............................................................. 18 Investigation of Ethnic Markers in Archaeology.................... 18 Approach to the Roles of Racist Ideology and the Meanings of Material Culture..................................... 24 Symbolic Analysis of Ceramic............................................... 33 Typological Approach................................................. 36 Approaches to the Symbolic Aspects of Ceramic Remains .................................................................. 39 III. ARCHAEOLOGY IN BARBADOS ........................................... 46 Brief Review of Archaeological Research in Barbados.................. 46 2003 Excavations and Findings at the First Street Site, Holetown...... 54 111 Table of Contents----Continued CHAPTER N. METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS ........................................ 62 Methodology.................................................................. 62 Typological Analysis and Background of British Ceramic Industry... 66 Wedgwood and the Development of Creamware and Pearlware................................................................ 67 Transfer Printing Technique........................................... 70 Forms............................................................... ...... 74 Motifs.................................................................... 74 "The Tea Party" Decoration .. .. .. .. .. .... 75 V. INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION................................... 86 The Analysis and lnterpretation of Ceramic Symbolism................. 86 Tea Drinking as a Social Activity.................................... 87 The Image of Blacks in a Subordinate Position.................... 89 Slave Costumes in Barbados.......................................... 99 Culture and Social Context in Barbados.................................... I 02 Racism and History of Barbados.................................... 103 Fears among Whites towards Emancipation........................ I 09 White Supremacy and Racism........................................ 117 The Ceramic Decoration and Its Meanings................................. 123 VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION............................................ 127 Significance of Analysis in the Meanings of Material Culture........... 127 REFERENCES............................................................................ 132 JV LIST OF TABLES 1. Types of Ceramic Remains Found in the Historic-Period Stratum................ 55 2. Ceramic Types from Context 3......................................................... 57 3. Population of Blacks and Whites in Barbados, 1712-1715 and 1 816- 1 817. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 119 V LIST OF FIGURES 1. Map of the West Indies.................................................................. 7 2. Map of Barbados.......................................................................... 8 3. Map of Parishes in Barbados .... .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .... .. .... .... .. .... .. .. ..... 8 4. Ceramic sherds from the First Street site in Holetown, Barbados................. 59 5. Cream-colored earthenware (Queen's ware) produced by Josiah Wedgwood (factory), Etruria in Staffordshire........................................ 64 6. Creamware Tea Canister and Plate with Transfer-Printed "The Tea Party," ca. 1770-1775....................... .. ... .. .... ... ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. ... ... .... 77 7. Cockpit Hill Creamware Octagonal Tea Canister.................................. 78 8. Cup and Saucer manufactured by Worcester........................................ 79 9. Worcester Tea Bowl and Saucer with Black Transfer Print, ca. 1760.......... .. 80 10. Lead-glazed Earthenware Tea Pot. Transfer Printed in Red by Richard Abbey in Liverpool, ca. 1780-90....................................................... 81 11. Joseph Sewell, St. Anthony's Pottery, Yellow-Glazed Earthenware (Teapot) with Transfer Print of "The Tea Party," ca. 1815- 25.................. .. 83 12. "A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of Virginia... ," by Josh Fry and Peter Jefferson (ca. 1755)............................................................... 91 13. "Die Bedienung" from 1795 in Germany............................................. 92 14. Mme Du Barry (1746- 1793)... ... ... ........ .................. ......... .... ... ..... ... 93 15. Marriage A-la-Mode: 4. The Toilette (ca. 1743) by William Hogarth........... 94 16. An Italian Courtyard(1660-5) by Jan Weenix.................................. ..... 95 I 7. The Marriage at Cana ( 1613-1699) by Mattia Preti............ ... .. ... .. .. .... .. ... 96 Vl CHAPTER I fNTRODUCTION It is one premise of archaeology that material culture reflects human behavior (Arnold 1999: 103), though this characterization doesn't capture the recursive quality of the material world. Material culture is actively constituted to create, reproduce, and transform social identities (Nassaney 2004). Material objects help to construct the "culturally constituted world" by substantiating "cultural principles" and "cultural categories" (McCracken 1988: 74). Goods are used as a means of exhibiting categories and principles established by culture; therefore, they are both products and precedents of the "culturally constituted world" (McCracken 1988: 74). In other words, through the use of material objects, humans create, express and transformsocial structure. Material objects convey a broad range of social messages based on their formand context of use, and their symbolic meanings are historically constructed (Nassaney 2004: 338). It is claimed that material culture is the most effective way of information exchange between agents of intermediate