Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
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Threepointers are amongst the most enigmatic artefacts of the pre-Columbian insular Caribbean (ca. 200 BC – AD 1492). According to the ethnohistoric chronicles they possessed a largely ritual...Show moreThreepointers are amongst the most enigmatic artefacts of the pre-Columbian insular Caribbean (ca. 200 BC – AD 1492). According to the ethnohistoric chronicles they possessed a largely ritual function and were designated as zemies, Amerindian spirit-objects. Nevertheless, what threepointers actually signified and how they were used is not known, nor have previous studies been able to verify the existing hypotheses. This pilot study explores a biographical way of visualising the threepointer artefact group, addressing the question of how they operated in Amerindian society. Microscopic trace analysis has been carried out on a sample of 59 threepointers, describing the microwear patterns that developed due to manufacture and use. Supplemented with data on the material proveniences and archaeological contexts, the research presents a broad range of evidence. These data are inserted in a biographical framework aimed at reconstruction of the cultural expectations behind the biographical trajectories of threepointers. As threepointers moved through five distinct phases in their biographies, being cause, conception, birth, life, and death, they were continuously recontextualised in the eyes of society. The thesis investigates how this process reflects on the cultural and societal values of the Amerindians. A reinterpretation of the ethnohistoric chronicles using ethnographic observations circumscribes this biographical framework in the context of Amerindian ontologies. Intersubjectivity between people and threepointers was the mechanism that allowed threepointers to interact with human sociality as autonomous actors. Through this mechanism, threepointers could be drawn to the human habitus, acculturated, and made to act on their own subjectivity. This study finds that threepointers were enormously variable in ‘conception’ and ‘birth’, knew active uses during ‘life’, but had no common significance in ‘death’. It argues that their unique existence is the direct result of their potential for intersubjectivity. Threepointers effectively functioned as devices capable of influencing the natural flow of the world.Show less
In de Caribische eilandengroep komt een type artefact voor dat sinds het begin van de vorige eeuw is beschreven, maar tot op heden op typologische kenmerken in het algemeen nauwelijks nader is...Show moreIn de Caribische eilandengroep komt een type artefact voor dat sinds het begin van de vorige eeuw is beschreven, maar tot op heden op typologische kenmerken in het algemeen nauwelijks nader is onderzocht in de Kleine Antillen. In deze scriptie staat daarom de onderzoeksvraag “wat zijn de stilistische kenmerken van de driepunters van de noordelijke Benedenwindse Eilanden?” centraal. Een antwoord wordt benaderd door samenstelling van een gegevensbestand waarin uiteindelijk 131 objecten zijn verwerkt. Na het schetsen van een overzicht van het huidige model van classificatie en de staat van onderzoekn geeft de auteur een overzicht van de individuele analysen van deze driepunters. Hierna worden de kenmerken per eigenschap gecorreleerd met andere kenmerken en met de contextuele informatie voor zover deze beschikbaar is, om zo de definiërende kenmerken te identificeren en de ontstaansgeschiedenis te achterhalen. Gebleken is dat een behoorlijk scala aan kenmerken onderhevig is aan verandering, met name waar het de keramische overgang tussen de Saladoid traditie en de Troumassoid traditie betreft. Enkele van deze kenmerken waren nog niet eerder als zodanig geïdentificeerd, en kenmerken die door eerdere auteurs als definiërend waren bestempeld blijken van ondergeschikt belang te zijn. Daaropvolgend wordt de representativiteit van het gegevensbestand en de analyses verdedigd, en worden de implicaties van de analyses besproken. Het bestaande model van classificatie wordt herzien aan de hand van de verkregen informatie, op zodanige wijze dat nietszeggende categorieën verdwijnen of gegroepeerd worden onder de overgebleven subtypes, welke op hun beurt geplaatst worden in een bepaalde fase van het ontwikkelingsproces van deze artefacten, of waarvan een specifieke spirituele bijbetekenis wordt vermoed. Hierbij worden verscheidene nieuwe subgroepen onderscheiden, en wordt een specifieke vorm die door andere auteurs beschreven is maar hier niet herkend is op basis van de typologische fase erkend. Uiteindelijk wordt geconcludeerd dat dit nieuwe model een betere basis biedt tot het vergaren van inzicht in dit type artefact, hoewel een gedeelte nog niet te plaatsen valt, en dat het belang van de stilistische kenmerken zowel op ontwikkeling als op spirituele betekenis gelegd moet worden. Boven alles wordt toekomstig onderzoek aan de hand van gedetailleerde gegevensbestanden aanbevolen.Show less
This thesis is about constructing an archaeological predictive model for Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. The idea for this research came out of the political change in the former Netherlands Antilles. On...Show moreThis thesis is about constructing an archaeological predictive model for Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean. The idea for this research came out of the political change in the former Netherlands Antilles. On 10-10-2010 the Netherlands Antilles were dismantled as an autonomous part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands and have formed new political entities. Through this change Bonaire became an overseas municipality of The Netherlands. With this change the bureaucratic system of Bonaire became part of the Dutch bureaucratic system. Bonaire has signed the Valletta Treaty in the meanwhile, which means that the cultural heritage management system has to be transformed into a completely new system. The archaeological predictive models which are described in this thesis can function as useful tools for the new cultural heritage management system on Bonaire. However, this is the first time that a predictive model has been made for Bonaire. These first phase models can be seen as the first steps in the development of predictive modeling on Bonaire. All aspects related to the construction of a predictive model were carefully considered.Show less
The Tainos were the inhabitants of the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles when the Spaniards arrived. During the past years researchers discussed about the existence of a heterogenous Taíno society...Show moreThe Tainos were the inhabitants of the Bahamas and the Greater Antilles when the Spaniards arrived. During the past years researchers discussed about the existence of a heterogenous Taíno society during the contact period. It is possible that the information of some Taíno society were generalised for the complete Taíno population. In this thesis a description of the Taíno culture and society is presented based on information of the Spanish chronicles. The socialpolitical organisation of the Taíno is critically reviewed. It is here argued that de Taíno chiefdoms showed diverse ranges of development. The discussion between Curet and Keegan and Maclachlan about the descent and succession in the protohistoric chiefdoms of the Greater Antilles is described.Show less
This thesis describes the practices used in Saladoid and Taíno medicine with the use of historical accounts, specifically from Hispaniola, and uncovers other plants that were employed in medicinal...Show moreThis thesis describes the practices used in Saladoid and Taíno medicine with the use of historical accounts, specifically from Hispaniola, and uncovers other plants that were employed in medicinal context with the use of ethnoarchaeology. Taíno traditional medicine was in part practiced by shamans, working with hallucinogenic plants, and in part by housewives, preparing herbal remedies. The shamanistic medicine is described in detail by Spanish chroniclers and was a common feature of Taíno cultures. The plants used in this context were cohoba (Anadenanthera peregrina), a strong kind of tobacco (güeyo), and an energizing and hunger suppressing herb called digo, which may or may not have been coca (Erythroxylum coca). Hardly anything, however, is accounted on domestic medicine and, therefore, the last chapter applies ethnoarchaeology to modern herbal medicine in the Caribbean, in search of plants of which the use could date back to prehistory. Nine plants that were used by the Ostionoid and Saladoid peoples and are currently employed as medicine in the Caribbean are studied. These are: West Indian elm (Guazuma ulmifolica), monkey pistol (Hura Crepitans), cf. soursop (Annona muricata), cassava (Manihot esculenta), genip (Melicoccus bijugatus), red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), maize (Zea mays), guava (Psidium guajava) and red pepper (Capsicum sp.). The last two have such a widespread and significant use that they were relatively certainly used as medicine as early as prehistory. Another discovery is the identification of a gum used for stomach problems by the Taíno, which was the gum of mesquite, (Prosopis juliflora).Show less
In this thesis the results of a cannon and anchor survey on the Caribbean island St. Eustatius are presented and discussed. St. Eustatius was an extremely busy port during the latter half of the...Show moreIn this thesis the results of a cannon and anchor survey on the Caribbean island St. Eustatius are presented and discussed. St. Eustatius was an extremely busy port during the latter half of the eighteenth century, and changed hands 22 times in the span of 180 years. To provide a framework in which these objects can be placed, an outline of the history of St. Eustatius as well as a general introduction to cannon and anchors are given. It was found that the French, Dutch, and English anchors encountered during our survey are indicators of the flourishing economy on St. Eustatius during the late eighteenth century. The cannon are particularly revealing, in that they can reveal a lot about the military history of the island. There was found to be a great variety of cannon on the island, ranging from the smallest calibers to 24-pounders, and from Norwegian to Spanish manufacture. These guns were cast in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Besides general conclusions, a detailed analysis of the various forts and their guns is given. Some suggestions for the management of these artifacts are made as well.Show less
Caribbean archaeology is home to a variety of unsolved mysteries that still need to be solved. One of these mysteries concerns the subject of pre-Columbian ceramic stamps, better known as ‘body...Show moreCaribbean archaeology is home to a variety of unsolved mysteries that still need to be solved. One of these mysteries concerns the subject of pre-Columbian ceramic stamps, better known as ‘body stamps’, which have been primarily related to body painting in previous works. Archaeological and anthropological investigations dealing with the tropical lowlands of South America and the Caribbean have been carried out since the early 1900s. What has come to my attention is the lack of research that has been carried out on the topic of body painting and ceramic stamps. This thesis aims to enhance our general knowledge about the relationship between ceramic stamps in the Caribbean and the practice of body painting among contemporary Amerindian societies in the tropical lowlands of South America. Methods used in this thesis to reach this aim consist of: (1) gathering of as many photographs of stamps as possible for comparative reasons, (2) analyzing the available ethnographical and ethno-historical information to support the archaeological data, and (3) using the South American Lowland traditions to make an analogy for the practice of body painting in the Caribbean. The use of these methods brings us to several conclusions concerning the relationship between ceramic stamps and body painting. Firstly, ethno-historical sources confirm the practice of body painting in the Caribbean. Secondly, ethnographical research carried out by Kaplan and Overing (1980), brings forward the contemporary use of wooden stamps among the Piaroa, which can be used to make a hypothesis about the function of ceramic stamps in the Caribbean. Thirdly, by analyzing the stylistic traits and their chronological context, we can determine that the ceramic stamps of the Caribbean were presumably related to the roller stamps of the Middle Orinoco belonging to the Arauquinoid pottery tradition. Lastly, by analyzing the stamp motifs and their relation to Amerindian mythology described by early ethnographers, we can determine whether these stamps played a role in the Amerindian worldview.Show less
In Guyana wordt een bepaald soort sjamanisme toegepast. Deze vorm van sjamanisme heeft als kenmerk dat hij samengaat met veel geweld. De sjamaan (in de plaatselijke taal Kanaima genoemd)...Show moreIn Guyana wordt een bepaald soort sjamanisme toegepast. Deze vorm van sjamanisme heeft als kenmerk dat hij samengaat met veel geweld. De sjamaan (in de plaatselijke taal Kanaima genoemd) achtervolgt het slachtoffer om hem of haar na een bepaalde tijd ritueel te doden. Om er achter te komen wat er allemaal komt kijken bij dit soort gedrag, moeten we ingaan op een aantal psychologische kenmerken. Aan de hand van vijf onderwerpen (te weten morele overweging, sociale motivatie, het doelwit, de uitvoerende en de herkomst van de magische kracht) wordt een beeld geschetst van deze vorm van sjamanisme. Het model wordt ten eerste toegepast op twee relevante studies ter vergelijking. Hierdoor kunnen we het model in werking zien. Hierna wordt het model toegepast op Kanaima. Als laatste worden de verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen Kanaima en de twee andere studies naast elkaar gehouden om eventuele blinde vlekken in te vullen die bij zullen dragen aan beantwoording van de vragen “ Wat is Kanaima?”, “Wie is Kanaima” en “Waarom bestaat Kanaima?”.Show less
The Caribbean island St. Eustatius is an archaeologist’s dream. It has the greatest concentration of archaeological sites in the New World. There are an estimated 200 sites on land and 200...Show moreThe Caribbean island St. Eustatius is an archaeologist’s dream. It has the greatest concentration of archaeological sites in the New World. There are an estimated 200 sites on land and 200 shipwrecks in the waters surrounding the island. One of the reasons for this is that the island played a major role in world history in the late eighteenth century. The sovereignty of the United States was first recognized here on November 16, 1776. People from all over the world came to St. Eustatius to make money by trading. As a result, one can find artifacts these people left behind on almost every square meter, on land and under water. One of these types of artifacts are buckles, objects that were regarded as articles of high fashion in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In this thesis a collection of 55 buckles, that was found in Oranje Bay in the early 1990’s, are investigated. To present a complete picture, their historical context is examined as well. As will be shown, the buckles can be regarded as indicators of the ups and downs of the islands economy and the people who participated in it.Show less
Shamanism was first described at the end of the seventeenth century. Since then everywhere in the world this phenomenon is mentioned. When we look at the contemporary societies of the South...Show moreShamanism was first described at the end of the seventeenth century. Since then everywhere in the world this phenomenon is mentioned. When we look at the contemporary societies of the South American mainland shamanism is part of their daily life as their world is animated. The function of the shaman is to be a mediator between the society and the spirits, reaching a trance state by using hallucinogenic substances. Not only in South American Tropical Forest societies is this the case, but also in the Siberian Arctic region. Shamanism is not a restricted phenomenon, but a widespread one. Without his tools the shaman can not contact the spirits. Tropical forest shamans use for example maracas, benches, snuffing tubes, snuffing trays and idols. They have their counterparts in the archaeological record where since the migration of the Saladoid and Huecoid peoples into the Caribbean islands shamanistic paraphernalia are found like, three-pointers, rattles, nostril bowls, snuffing tubes, snuff plateaus, and incense burners. These categories were also available among the Taíno as shamanism was also part of their society. Rattles, benches, snuffing tubes, special cohoba vessels, ceremonial pestles, vomiting spatulas, and cohoba stands were used. The egalitarian Saladoid society changed into a stratified society of the Taíno. Shamanism was not restricted anymore to the shaman or behique, but also the cacique used shamanistic paraphernalia and cohoba.Show less
The Taíno peoples were discovered by Columbus in 1492, although for a long time he thought to have arrived at the islands surrounding the Japanese coast. He became very interested in the peoples he...Show moreThe Taíno peoples were discovered by Columbus in 1492, although for a long time he thought to have arrived at the islands surrounding the Japanese coast. He became very interested in the peoples he met and ordered Fray Ramón Pané to live among the people of two caciques. As a result one of the most important reports were written about the Taíno and the first ethnological work in the Americas. This work knows a history of many problems. These started during the writing period and ended with the disappearance of the original manuscript, after Fernando Columbus handled it. The term Taíno is used for almost all cultures found on the Greater Antilles, the Bahamas and a couple of the Lesser Antilles. However, this term, Taíno, should be used with great care. The area is not as homogeneous as first thought. There are differences is language, religion practices and sociopolitical structures and as of yet no element has found that characterizes this area as a whole. This term can be regarded as similar to the term Europe, a certain landmass that possesses several distinct cultural groups. The word Taíno is used here for the two communities in which Pané resided for a couple of years and where he wrote his reports. The Taíno were a society that showed great creativity and energy, they were the most developed in the Caribbean region. They had complex chiefdoms and lived in a hierarchical society. Their religion had evolved as well. Among others Pané wrote about the myths of the Taíno. Stevens-Arroyo has ordered these stories into two groups, creation myths and hero myths. All of these have larger themes and smaller elements in them, important for the community that acts and reacts on them. These themes will be compared to myths found on the mainland of South America to find out where the Taíno, according to the myths, could have originated from.Show less
