Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

Principal Excavated Sites in Jamaica / 167
(2) Another midden named mound C was excavated west of A and B, by
means of a north- south trench 35 ft long and a second trench oriented perpendicular
to it. Three “simple flexed burials” were found in this area. Vanderwal
concluded that there had obviously been a great number of burials at White
Marl, and certainly “future excavation at the site” would reveal more.
The unpublished papers at the Institute of Jamaica include a “North Face
Profile” of square 13 I (Appendix 31). This is schematic but shows better than
words can the alternation of deposits at the site, to a depth of 7 ft. One of the
squares in Howard’s mound B is 13 I, but comparing the slope of the deposits
with his contour map one would rather have expected this to be the south face.
It is not sure, but presumably the profile originated with Vanderwal.
(4) James St. Clair, 1969. According to St. Clair’s unpublished proposal (1969)
he intended to extend Vanderwal’s second ( east- west) trench westward. In the
event, according to the published report (1970), “the total area excavated to a
depth of 5′ was a 120 square foot block.” “Nine post holes were revealed indicating
a circular structure with a diameter of approximately 14′. In the centre
of this structure, where one would presume a centre post would be, was a
12″ circular burned area.” The entrance faced east, and what was defined as
a “cooking area” was located to the west. Here there was a “large burned area
of soil” and numerous griddles. No further burials were recorded, hence the
minimum number of burials revealed at the site in the period 1958–1969 was
15, with 16 individuals represented, of whom three were children.
(5) Fauna. E. S. Wing studied the faunal remains from Howard’s 1964 excavations.
They were treated as a whole and not separated by successive excavation
levels. Twenty- eight species were identified with a minimum number
of individuals (MNI) of 713, which were then compared with other sites in a
summary fashion, in groups reflecting the environments these species preferred
(Appendix 10, reproduced here at Table 23).
Terrestrial remains were clearly predominant with 62 percent (441) of the
total. Hutía alone accounted for 50 percent (357); other species included rice
rats, five dogs (Canis familiaris), iguanas, and unidentified birds. Twenty sea
turtles (the remains of which were too fragmentary for specific identification),
or 3 percent of the total, were evidently caught on the beaches. Inshore species
represented 25 percent (177) of the total, and clearly this was also a favored
exploitation habitat. The remains of one manatee (Trichechus), five alligators
(Crocodilus acutus), and 34 cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) were found.
Apart from one eagle ray (Aetobatis) the latter included at least 20 tiger sharks
(Galeocerdo cuvier). As Wing comments, these sharks may come in very close to