Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

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the island in relation to the Montego Bay sites, now being reexamined by Ivor
Conolley. With the accumulation of more, and better, published data, it may
be possible to address more general or theoretical questions, such as the number
of “Indian tribes” on the island, and what this designation might mean, socially
and even linguistically. General frameworks for the study of prehistory in the
Caribbean are changing, and Jamaican prehistorians should be part of this
movement of change, rather than being merely swept along by it.
A great deal of quantitative information has been presented here on the 265
sites so carefully mapped by James Lee. That was a lifetime’s work, and full advantage
should be taken of it. The data have been summarized and limited statistics
have been derived from them, but there is more that could be done. Even
if it is clear that the sites may represent no more than the “pick of the bunch,”
a GIS analysis could be undertaken, which would have even a predictive value.
The patterns inherent in the data have not yet been fully explored. Without
even the need for new excavations, there is much that can and should be done
to study and publish material already excavated. In this respect, attention has
been drawn to the artifacts previously kept at the White Marl museum, and
now stored at the JNHT, both from Howard’s excavations at White Marl and
from Vanderwal’s excavations at various sites in the island. A beginning has
been made on the analysis of the material ascribed to the Montego Bay variant,
at Hartfield and Fairfield, but a great deal more could be done, with existing
resources. The presently stored material includes not only artifacts but also human
and animal remains. It is regrettable that since the 1890s, with the exception
of one article by Harper concerning Cambridge Hill cave, there has been
practically no professional study done of the human skeletal material excavated
from Jamaican sites. Even Cambridge Hill was not studied exhaustively. With
the right professional help, and appropriate financial resources, it would not be
too difficult to fill this gap, and Jamaica would benefit by it. Elizabeth Rega’s
studies at Somerville cave point the way. With regard to the animal remains,
the country needs at least one locally trained specialist who could handle this
aspect. At the moment, faunal remains have to be studied elsewhere, and while
our colleagues do an excellent job, and have first- class comparative material,
there should be some long- term qualified local input. As demonstrated recently
in the Annotto Bay area, faunal preservation at Jamaican prehistoric sites is astonishingly
good, and full advantage should be taken of that fact.
Apart from the study and publication of material, Jamaica’s cultural institutions
also have a duty of care and preservation of existing monuments and sites
on the island. Lee was particularly proud of his role in relocating, and then in