Collaborative Research: An archaeological examination of the cultural and ecological consequences of colonialism

Syracuse University, Syracuse NY

Investigators

Abstract

An enduring question for archaeologists is the nature of colonial encounters, specifically the small-scale dynamics between Indigenous groups and European settlers in the Americas. These questions are of particular salience where the overarching historical narrative portrays the interactions as controlled and dominated by Europeans, and emphasizes stereotyped depictions of the Indigenous groups living on the islands at contact. Scientists will conduct research to examine early colonial European-Indigenous interactions. A site, exposed by storm surge from Hurricane Maria in 2017, was an informal European trading complex established by colonial European settlers. It is situated along a protected bay on the Atlantic coastline and was one of the first sheltered anchorages for vessels voyaging from Africa and Europe. It was was one of few territories which continued for a significant time after contact to be controlled by Indigenous inhabitants. To ensure this work has broader impact beyond academia, the team will work collaboratively with the contemporary local community. Community members and residents will participate in excavations, and engage in frequent meetings on the interpretation of findings. To build local capacity for heritage protection, the team will hold a one-week archaeology “camp" and hire local research assistants to learn archaeological methods. In addition, with the support of local collaborator the project will contribute to the development of a museum and exhibits on the local colonial history. The goal of the project is to characterize the nature of the relationship between the indigenous inhabitants and European settlers, and examine the political, economic, and socioecological realities of an informal trading encampment at a colonial frontier. The project team will conduct remote sensing, geophysical and sub-surface survey coring for environmental and geomorphological data, and excavation of archaeological and geological features. Through the application of these methods, this project investigates the development of the trading complex and surrounding enclave. This research connects with questions of how European settlers and Indigenous groups were entangled within the broader processes of colonialism and ecological transformations, exploring themes of Indigenous resilience and agency in the face of conquest. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.