Times of the Islands Summer 2019

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
network of the Lucayans at the South Bank site.
Today we have methods for extracting information
about diet from ceramics and shell remains. Microscopic
silicon structures from plants (phytoliths) as well as starch
grains, fat remains (lipids) and pollen remain adhered to
some ceramic and shell specimens. We carefully preserved
unwashed ceramics and shells from the South Bank site
for such analysis, which is ongoing at the University of
North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) and at the Florida
Museum of Natural History (FMNH). Among the shells
being analyzed at FMNH are clam shells, Codakia orbicularis,
that show edge chipping from when they were
used for scraping, quite possibly for scraping the skins of
tubers, such as manioc.
Locally made Palmetto Ware ceramics have crushed
shell inclusions (tempering) in the clay that help bind
it together. Coming from the volcanic origin islands to
The edge of this clam shell, Codakia orbicularis, shows that it was
likely used for scraping the skins of tubers, such as manioc.
the south, Cuba and Hispaniola, imported ceramics we
encounter contain igneous and metamorphic grit tempering.
In order to analyze the minerals in the import
tempering, and thereby help trace them back to their
point of origin, we have cut very thin sections of those
ceramics, allowing microscopic examination of the minerals.
This is referred to as petrographic analysis, and is
currently being undertaken at UNCW.
Comparable petrographic analysis of ceramics from
the Greater Antilles is just starting to be conducted by
other researchers, so for the moment we have a limited
comparative base. However, that will change as more such
work is done in the islands to the south. In the near future
we will be better able to trace these imported ceramics
back to their hearth zone, and thus have an expanded
picture of the islanders’ trade networks.
Local Palmetto Ware often has basketry and mat
impressions. We brought in an expert, Charlene
Hutcheson, to help with analysis of these impressions,
and by extension advance depiction of the basketry and
weaving skills of the Lucayans.
Charcoal samples extracted from the midden were
sent to Beta Analytics in Miami for radiocarbon dating.
The three test results indicated a high probability that the
occupation period of the village was between 1300 and
1440 AD, which is consistent with the radiocarbon date
mentioned from the 1977 dig.
Why settle there? Why settle by the mouth of Juba
Sound? The Sound is a rich natural environment, and the
South Bank site is particularly well located to take advantage
of local resources. The site sits in the lee of the high
ironshore at the south end of Long Bay, where canoes
could be landed in calm waters. It sits on deep sandy soil,
upon which it would have been easy to build the pole and
thatch structures of the Lucayans, and within which the
Amerindians could plant their varied crops. A permanent
surface fresh water source is located to the northeast,
at the base of the hill on which are found the Juba Point
caves. The estuary system of the Sound is rich in shellfish,
and the narrow estuary mouth is a natural tidal funnel for
fish and an ideal location for fish traps. Nearby offshore
are banks that have abundant conch, and the patch reefs
host many fish. The bone and shell remains recovered
from the South Bank site indicate that all these resources
and environmental zones were being exploited.
Analysis is ongoing, but here is where we are, and
what we expect to learn. We are strengthening our
understanding of how the Lucayans interacted with their
environment and utilized resources within it; firm dating
of the site between approximately 1300 and 1440
AD helps place the settlement in the context of regional
cultural development and links to contemporaneous
communities; decorative motifs and mineral content of
imported ceramics are enabling refined modeling of trade
ties and networks; and analysis of food residue on bone,
shell and ceramics will expand our understanding of the
Lucayan diet and of the plant and animal species that they
used to fuel their economy.
The South Bank dig was productive, and could not
have been successful without the contributions of local
officials, students and volunteers. It was a true community
effort. a
Times of the Islands Summer 2019 69