The Conservation, Excavation, and Analysis of Ancient Human Remains

Abstract

In the summer of 2015, the cranium of what seemed to be an indigenous Caribbean individual was discovered partially exposed on White's Bay Beach, Nevis. The following year, upon excavation of two known burial sites, a test pit brought forth an additional burial of two individuals dating about 1025-1275 AD. Currently, there is very little known about this period causing confusion about the migration and settlement patterns of the Caribbean people during this time. Additionally, the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society is experiencing rising concerns of the demolition and utilization of their historical land and beaches for infrastructural development. As the tourist economy and access to the internet have increased, economic development has become far more important to developers and landowners than land preservation. As a result, this has caused an increase in beach erosion and historically documented and undocumented lands are being developed, erasing the cultures and histories present on this land. This thesis argues that a case study of prehistoric human remains found on White's Bay Beach can be used to describe and better understand the culture, customs, and heritage, of both the current and indigenous population on Nevis. It can also help educate and inform the current Nevisian residents on the importance of decreasing construction and preserving these lands. Traditional excavation methods and a combination of visual and metric observations were used to collect skeletal data. The results of this case study found that these burials belonged to the Taíno people, providing valuable information that will allow a better understanding of the Caribbean people during the end of the Ostionoid period (600-1500 CE). v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Most importantly, I would like to thank Dr. Marco Meniketti for providing me with the opportunity of being a part of a preliminary study on the island of Nevis in 2015. Without this opportunity, it would not have been possible to begin my first semester of graduate school with a definite project in mind. Moreover, I would like to express gratitude for all the undying support Dr. Marco Meniketti has shown me both as an undergraduate and graduate student here at San José State University; his encouragement, sponsorship, and guidance towards my career goals in anthropology has been stellar. I could never have asked for a better mentor. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Elizabeth Weiss and Dr. Lorna Pierce for all their assistance, guidance, and wonderful inspirational teaching. I am truly thankful for having the opportunity to not only be their student, but to also have them both serve as my committee members.