Throughout the modern day Caribbean, artisanal fishing constitutes an important part of domestic
... more Throughout the modern day Caribbean, artisanal fishing constitutes an important part of domestic subsistence and household economies. Many of the traditional fishing practices on the islands today were established during the Colonial Period, as enslaved Africans and their descendants developed social, economic, and subsistence strategies to persist under the plantation system. The historical record provides little insight into the day-to-day experiences of these enslaved laborers, including their subsistence regimes and practices. Fishing by slaves in the colonial French Antilles is portrayed in the historic literature as a practice reserved primarily for an ‘‘elite’’ group of fisherman held on wealthy plantations. Archaeology provides insight into the pieces of history left out of the written record and offers valuable information regarding the everyday lives of the enslaved peoples and communities underrepresented in this record. This article presents the results of the zooarchaeological analysis of faunal remains recovered from enslaved laborer and sharecropper occupations at Habitation Cr`eve Coeur, an eighteenth–nineteenth century sugar plantation on the island of Martinique. The data reveal that fishing was an important economic activity for the slaves on this plantation and that the practice of fishing was likely more of a communal act than one for a privileged few. Furthermore, analysis indicates that fishing techniques that continue on the island today originated centuries ago, traditions developed by enslaved laborers living under the severe constraints of the oppressive plantation system.
Environmental Archaeology The Journal of Human Palaeoecology , 2017
The plantation era in the Caribbean was characterised by significant ecological degradation and c... more The plantation era in the Caribbean was characterised by significant ecological degradation and change through the shift to sugar monoculture, and the introduction of exotic taxa to the island, leading to the extensive depletion of native flora and fauna. During European colonial rule in this region, marginalised and enslaved communities developed informal domestic economies such as artisanal fishing, small-scale animal husbandry and agriculture to survive within this oppressive structure. Zooarchaeology from this period offers insight into the variability of historical human eco-dynamics, and how these pasts impact modern social, economic and ecological systems. This study presents archaeological case studies from three plantation sites in the Lesser Antilles, from the islands of Martinique, Barbados and Dominica, to illustrate the potential contributions of historical archaeology to understanding long-term human–environment interaction, and explore the ecological consequences of colonialism in the Caribbean. Results of faunal analysis at the three sites suggest that resilient, small-scale subsistence and economic practices that persist today began during slavery, and that these data provide a more nuanced picture of past and present issues of biodiversity, ecosystem health and food security in the Caribbean.
Afriques. Débats, méthodes et terrains d'histoire, n° 5. Special issue coordinated by Monique Cha... more Afriques. Débats, méthodes et terrains d'histoire, n° 5. Special issue coordinated by Monique Chastanet, Gérard Chouin, Dora de Lima and Thomas Guindeuil [on line: http://afriques.revues.org/1346]
Dans les villages des plantations des Amériques, les Africains asservis et leurs descendants étai... more Dans les villages des plantations des Amériques, les Africains asservis et leurs descendants étaient contraints de créer une alimentation leur permettant de garantir l’accès à une nutrition complète et suffisante et dont les ingrédients se trouvaient sur place. La cuisine créole des anciennes colonies françaises est aujourd’hui témoin de la capacité créative des esclaves. Les aliments, les méthodes de procuration, de préparation et la culture matérielle utilisée pour la préparation consistent en un mélange d’influences africaines, européennes et américaines reflétant l’économie des plantations et celles des villages d’esclaves, l’environnement et le patrimoine culturel. Dans cet article nous associons des documents ethnohistoriques et historiques avec des données archéologiques provenant de fouilles menées sur deux sites de villages d’esclaves, l’un en Guadeloupe et l’autre en Martinique, dans le contexte des habitudes alimentaires créoles des Caraïbes dans les Antilles françaises.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Jun 2014
Formerly British and French colonies, the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbados and Martinique we... more Formerly British and French colonies, the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbados and Martinique were major players in the early development of European overseas empires dependent on African slave labor and the large-scale production of sugar. Utilizing documentary and archaeological data we discuss and compare the independent production activities or household economies of plantation slaves on these two islands. The household economy was one of the more prominent aspects of plantation slave life throughout the Caribbean, and in this paper we examine the multiple adaptive production strategies slaves employed to ameliorate the poverty of their material and economic lives.
Throughout the modern day Caribbean, artisanal fishing constitutes an important part of domestic
... more Throughout the modern day Caribbean, artisanal fishing constitutes an important part of domestic subsistence and household economies. Many of the traditional fishing practices on the islands today were established during the Colonial Period, as enslaved Africans and their descendants developed social, economic, and subsistence strategies to persist under the plantation system. The historical record provides little insight into the day-to-day experiences of these enslaved laborers, including their subsistence regimes and practices. Fishing by slaves in the colonial French Antilles is portrayed in the historic literature as a practice reserved primarily for an ‘‘elite’’ group of fisherman held on wealthy plantations. Archaeology provides insight into the pieces of history left out of the written record and offers valuable information regarding the everyday lives of the enslaved peoples and communities underrepresented in this record. This article presents the results of the zooarchaeological analysis of faunal remains recovered from enslaved laborer and sharecropper occupations at Habitation Cr`eve Coeur, an eighteenth–nineteenth century sugar plantation on the island of Martinique. The data reveal that fishing was an important economic activity for the slaves on this plantation and that the practice of fishing was likely more of a communal act than one for a privileged few. Furthermore, analysis indicates that fishing techniques that continue on the island today originated centuries ago, traditions developed by enslaved laborers living under the severe constraints of the oppressive plantation system.
Environmental Archaeology The Journal of Human Palaeoecology , 2017
The plantation era in the Caribbean was characterised by significant ecological degradation and c... more The plantation era in the Caribbean was characterised by significant ecological degradation and change through the shift to sugar monoculture, and the introduction of exotic taxa to the island, leading to the extensive depletion of native flora and fauna. During European colonial rule in this region, marginalised and enslaved communities developed informal domestic economies such as artisanal fishing, small-scale animal husbandry and agriculture to survive within this oppressive structure. Zooarchaeology from this period offers insight into the variability of historical human eco-dynamics, and how these pasts impact modern social, economic and ecological systems. This study presents archaeological case studies from three plantation sites in the Lesser Antilles, from the islands of Martinique, Barbados and Dominica, to illustrate the potential contributions of historical archaeology to understanding long-term human–environment interaction, and explore the ecological consequences of colonialism in the Caribbean. Results of faunal analysis at the three sites suggest that resilient, small-scale subsistence and economic practices that persist today began during slavery, and that these data provide a more nuanced picture of past and present issues of biodiversity, ecosystem health and food security in the Caribbean.
Afriques. Débats, méthodes et terrains d'histoire, n° 5. Special issue coordinated by Monique Cha... more Afriques. Débats, méthodes et terrains d'histoire, n° 5. Special issue coordinated by Monique Chastanet, Gérard Chouin, Dora de Lima and Thomas Guindeuil [on line: http://afriques.revues.org/1346]
Dans les villages des plantations des Amériques, les Africains asservis et leurs descendants étai... more Dans les villages des plantations des Amériques, les Africains asservis et leurs descendants étaient contraints de créer une alimentation leur permettant de garantir l’accès à une nutrition complète et suffisante et dont les ingrédients se trouvaient sur place. La cuisine créole des anciennes colonies françaises est aujourd’hui témoin de la capacité créative des esclaves. Les aliments, les méthodes de procuration, de préparation et la culture matérielle utilisée pour la préparation consistent en un mélange d’influences africaines, européennes et américaines reflétant l’économie des plantations et celles des villages d’esclaves, l’environnement et le patrimoine culturel. Dans cet article nous associons des documents ethnohistoriques et historiques avec des données archéologiques provenant de fouilles menées sur deux sites de villages d’esclaves, l’un en Guadeloupe et l’autre en Martinique, dans le contexte des habitudes alimentaires créoles des Caraïbes dans les Antilles françaises.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Jun 2014
Formerly British and French colonies, the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbados and Martinique we... more Formerly British and French colonies, the eastern Caribbean islands of Barbados and Martinique were major players in the early development of European overseas empires dependent on African slave labor and the large-scale production of sugar. Utilizing documentary and archaeological data we discuss and compare the independent production activities or household economies of plantation slaves on these two islands. The household economy was one of the more prominent aspects of plantation slave life throughout the Caribbean, and in this paper we examine the multiple adaptive production strategies slaves employed to ameliorate the poverty of their material and economic lives.
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subsistence and household economies. Many of the traditional fishing practices on the islands today were
established during the Colonial Period, as enslaved Africans and their descendants developed social, economic,
and subsistence strategies to persist under the plantation system. The historical record provides little insight into
the day-to-day experiences of these enslaved laborers, including their subsistence regimes and practices. Fishing
by slaves in the colonial French Antilles is portrayed in the historic literature as a practice reserved primarily for
an ‘‘elite’’ group of fisherman held on wealthy plantations. Archaeology provides insight into the pieces of history
left out of the written record and offers valuable information regarding the everyday lives of the enslaved peoples
and communities underrepresented in this record. This article presents the results of the zooarchaeological
analysis of faunal remains recovered from enslaved laborer and sharecropper occupations at Habitation Cr`eve
Coeur, an eighteenth–nineteenth century sugar plantation on the island of Martinique. The data reveal that
fishing was an important economic activity for the slaves on this plantation and that the practice of fishing was
likely more of a communal act than one for a privileged few. Furthermore, analysis indicates that fishing
techniques that continue on the island today originated centuries ago, traditions developed by enslaved laborers
living under the severe constraints of the oppressive plantation system.
subsistence and household economies. Many of the traditional fishing practices on the islands today were
established during the Colonial Period, as enslaved Africans and their descendants developed social, economic,
and subsistence strategies to persist under the plantation system. The historical record provides little insight into
the day-to-day experiences of these enslaved laborers, including their subsistence regimes and practices. Fishing
by slaves in the colonial French Antilles is portrayed in the historic literature as a practice reserved primarily for
an ‘‘elite’’ group of fisherman held on wealthy plantations. Archaeology provides insight into the pieces of history
left out of the written record and offers valuable information regarding the everyday lives of the enslaved peoples
and communities underrepresented in this record. This article presents the results of the zooarchaeological
analysis of faunal remains recovered from enslaved laborer and sharecropper occupations at Habitation Cr`eve
Coeur, an eighteenth–nineteenth century sugar plantation on the island of Martinique. The data reveal that
fishing was an important economic activity for the slaves on this plantation and that the practice of fishing was
likely more of a communal act than one for a privileged few. Furthermore, analysis indicates that fishing
techniques that continue on the island today originated centuries ago, traditions developed by enslaved laborers
living under the severe constraints of the oppressive plantation system.