Times of the Islands Fall 2021

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small effigy bowls brought from Hispaniola. The pottery at the site was inadequate for cooking meals. Instead, the main deposit was a dense layer of fire-cracked limestone with interspersed circular compact-sand features of about 10 inches in diameter. The features formed a compact surface about three centimeters thick that produced a ringing sound when struck with a trowel, and were clearly different from the surrounding sand matrix. X-ray diffraction analysis identified these hard-packed features as a form of cement. The original thought was that they were constructed for use as bead-polishing surfaces. However, none of these features exhibited any evidence of use-wear from polishing beads, most were surrounded by large quantities of fire-cracked limestone, and their arrangement appears too haphazard to facilitate simultaneous use as polishing stations. It now seems likely that these are places where baskets, or other porous containers, were set in an earth oven. The hot rocks often are rearranged prior to the addition of plant materials and foodstuffs. We propose that spaces were cleared among the rocks for the placement of baskets containing mollusks and that they left their mark as circular features caused by “clam juice” (liquid calcium carbonate and minerals) mixing with the sand to create a cement-like pad. Cooking in baskets would allow for a substantial number of small mollusks and crustaceans to be heated at one time without them being scattered in the fire. For example, tiger lucine clams (Codakia orbicularis) are very common in Lucayan sites, and a ten-inch wide by five-inch tall basket could hold about 100 clams. Similarly, nerites are marble-size snails that occur in large numbers along rocky shorelines. In archaeological sites, the lip (with its “bleeding tooth”) is usually separated from the rest of the shell. We found that striking the fresh snail on a hard surface, like cracking a nut, produces a mass of flesh and smashed shell. But when the snails were parboiled for a few minutes, the lip easily separated with a light tap. We know that the Lucayans made basketry because their impressions are found on pottery vessels. The majority of basket impressions are observed on flat clay griddles as if the clay was pressed out on a clean, dry mat. However, basket impressions are also found on hemispherical bowls. A diversity of weaving styles has been identified which may represent the work of particular individuals. In other words, leaving something akin to a maker’s mark. In addition, the Spanish chronicler Bartolomé de las Casas reported seeing Indigenous watertight baskets in Cuba in the early 1500s. Water-tight baskets made from “fanner” grass are still woven by craftswomen from the Caicos Islands. The Middle Caicos Co-op has created a vibrant market for TCI handcrafts. Water-tight baskets opened a new line of investigation. Prior to the adoption of pottery vessels, “stone boiling” was among the most common preparation methods for cooking food in a liquid. It involves the transfer of rocks heated in the coals of a fire to an impermeable container of liquid and food items. The red-hot rocks substantially raise the temperature of the contents, but not to the boiling point of water. The process is more similar to near-boiling or rapid steaming, although when hot rocks are added to the liquid the water does appear to boil. Boiling cobbles typically are spheroid shapes measuring four to six inches. They are smooth-surfaced, hard, resistant to thermal stress and minimally soluble. Stone boiling experiments show that a significant percentage of the rocks crack and fracture during the cooking process, especially when heated multiple times. Different types of rock fracture at different rates and in different ways, sometimes in the fire, but more often from the thermal shock that occurs when they are dropped into cool liquid. COURTESY SARA KAUFMAN–MIDDLE CAICOS CO-OP 28 www.timespub.tc
There are no typical boiling stones available in the Lucayan Islands because they are composed entirely of soft and soluble limestone. In contrast, coral cobbles of appropriate sizes are readily available and easily collected along Atlantic coast beaches. And we find lots and lots of burned coral at Lucayan sites, despite no ready explanation for why corals were being burned. With this in mind we conducted a series of experiments. Coral cobbles were collected from a beach, heated in an open fire, and transferred with tongs into a container of water. The cobbles quickly raised the temperature of the water to just below the boiling point. Success! But best of all, the cobble were discolored and fractured into shapes that match those observed in archaeological deposits. Although our experiments do not prove that the Lucayans used “coral boiling” to cook particular foods, our results are consistent with the archaeological evidence. It is perhaps unfortunate that archaeologists often describe ancient foodways as subsistence, as if people only eat from necessity. The modern diversity of regional “cuisines” highlights the rich cultural heritage of cooking found around the world. There is no reason to assume that the Lucayans were any less creative when it came to cooking and eating. Moreover, we tend to assume that when something new comes along it will replace what came before. The evidence of traditional methods of food preparation we now see in the Lucayan Islands offers a window into Indigenous Caribbean cooking before and after pots. Even with a pot to cook in, some foods are better prepared without. a Dr. Bill Keegan is Curator of Caribbean Archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History (University of Florida); Dr. Betsy Carlson is Senior Archaeologist at Southeastern Archaeological Research (SEARCH, Inc.) in Jonesville, FL; Dr. Michael Pateman is former Director of the Turks & Caicos National Museum and currently Curator/Lab Director of the AEX Maritime Museum on Grand Bahama; and Dr. Lindsay Bloch is Collections Manager of the Ceramic Technology Laboratory, Florida Museum of Natural History (University of Florida). Times of the Islands Fall 2021 29
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