Pre-Colombian Jamaica: Caribbean Archeology and Ethnohistory

176 / Appendix A.
presence of the offshore (pelagic) family Scombridae, particularly tuna (Thunnus).
Apart from fish, there were a number of crab remains at the site, but Wing
gives no numbers for them.
Most recently, Jo Stokes (2002) has reinvestigated the site. This is particularly
important because the whole area is being affected by development, following
the sale of the majority of the land by the Beckford family. Stokes
reports that “the crest of the hill” still “contains deep cultural deposits of ceramics,
bone, and shell measuring almost two meters deep at some points.”
The stratigraphy revealed two layers of marl deposition, the only site in the island
where this phenomenon has been observed, apart from White Marl itself.
Interesting items recovered included a crocodile tooth pendant. In addition,
a number of other “light scatters of artefacts” were discovered in the
vicinity. Stokes concludes that “the picture of the social landscape during Pre-
Columbian times is one of long- term intensive settlement of the Rio Nuevo
site, with smaller more ephemeral outlying sites stretched along the coast and
up the river inland.”
References: AJ 1965, 6:1; 1965, 9:1; 1967, 8:2; 1972, 2:2; 1973, 3:2; 1977,
1:7; 1977, 2:3; 1978, 1:1–5; 1982, 1:6; Robertson 2002; Silverberg et al. 1972;
Stokes 2002; Vanderwal 1968a, 1968d.
Wentworth (Y8)
Not mentioned by Howard (1950), so presumably not known to early twentiethcentury
investigators, but mapped by Lee in 1966. He described the site as a
“typical hill- top village not much more than half a mile from the sea but at an
elevation of 500 feet overlooking Port Maria bay.” Noël Coward’s house, Firefly,
built in 1949, and the older structure described by him as Look Out (Payn
and Morley 1982), occupied the “main flat area of the site.” The midden accumulations
were “scattered about in the gardens and on the steep slopes running
off from the hill- top.” Some time later an “amphitheatre,” consisting of
long cutaway steps dug into the slope facing the sea, was constructed, and in
the course of this work a considerable quantity of archaeological material was
found (Lynda Lee Burks, “Island Outpost,” personal communication). In 1977
Errol Henry purchased the area of land immediately adjoining the Firefl y estate
on the northeast. He noticed the presence of Pre- Columbian remains on
his land and created the “Zabai Tabai” Museum in order to display them. Excavations
on Henry’s land were conducted by Basil Reid on behalf of the JNHT
in 1988 (Reid n.d. and 1990).
Reid’s excavations took place during the period December 9–20, 1988. Ac-