Archaeologist and IACA President Jay Haviser.
BARBADOS–Both sides of the island were represented at the 28th Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology (IACA) held last week in Barbados at the Barbados Museum and Historical Society.
The IACA Congress is held every two years and is the primary gathering of Caribbean archaeology specialists. It generally hosts about 250 delegates from more than 30 countries. The 2015 IACA Congress was hosted by St. Maarten/St. Martin.
This year’s theme was “Re-Examining Self,” and looked at perspectives of regional heritage research and how it must be conducted in cooperation with the local communities being researched.
Barbados Congress chair Kevin Farmer, Barbados Museum President Sir Trevor Carmichael, Barbados Museum Director Alissandra Cummins and IACA President Jay Haviser presided over the opening ceremony. Barbados Culture and Sport Minister John King expressed supporting words at the opening reception.
One of the additional themes noted in Haviser’s speech was the need for greater attention to the impact of climate change on heritage research, including the destruction of heritage sites and direct effects on local populations.
During the week-long congress, 120 research papers were presented, including one about French St. Martin by Christophe Henocq and a paper by Haviser about the post-Hurricane Irma recovery in Dutch St. Maarten. Other papers were presented for the islands of Curaçao, Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius.
The next IACA Congress will be held in Matanzas, Cuba, in July 2021.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/89561-island-represented-at-archaeology-congress
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