Island Council members at the archaeological excavation site at F.D. Roosevelt Airport in St. Eustatius.ST. EUSTATIUS–Island Council members visited the burial grounds at the archaeological excavation at F.D. Roosevelt Airport on Friday, May 14.
After receiving a verbal presentation by the archaeological team two weeks ago, the council members expressed their desire to visit the site first-hand. They were given a comprehensive tour of the Golden Rock 2021 (GR2021) site by project director Ruud Stelten, St. Eustatius Center for Archaeological Research (SECAR) interim director Alex Hinton and osteoarchaeologist Felicia Fricke. Department of Culture programme manager Nasha Radjouki was also present.
The Island Council was informed on the next steps that will take place during the following weeks. They also gained insights into how the team discovers, removes and processes the skeletons that were found.
Several burials that are currently being evacuated were shown and the councilmembers saw artefacts that were found in the research area.
Fricke explained the importance of the burial goods and the burials, as they give an understanding of the status of the deceased.
Council Member Reuben Merman asked why this site is so special. Stelten explained that in the 1980s and 1990s most of the archaeological research was focused on the plantation homes and warehouses in the Caribbean.
“It is only recently that archaeologists have begun to focus on the story of the enslaved people,” said Stelten, who pointed out that it is “incredibly moving and rare” to find the majority of burials done in such a careful and respectful way.
“We are quite certain that this is one of the largest burial grounds ever to be discovered in the Caribbean,” said. Stelten.
He also explained that most likely there are more graves located near GR2021, but archaeological protocol advises against disturbing any area not needed for redevelopment.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/members-of-island-council-visit-airport-burial-grounds
And much has to be discovered again, for instance till when were red slaves used on the island. We know of the Spanish that they tried to kill the locals in the 16th century because they spread the rumor that these were canibals, so unchristians. Later the Spanish used to kill everybody on the small Caribbean islands, because these islands were also visited by the buccaneers and filibusters, who friended with the natives and were just waiting for the return trips of the Spanish ships from Venezuela towards the bigger Caribbean Islands and then to Spain.
As the Spanish empire didn’t have enough people to populate all islands with friendly people, they concentrated on the few largest Caribbean islands. But even that was a too big area, so the west of the island Hispaniola was abandoned. By this the French could establish Haïti. And other European nations colonized the smaller islands. France, Great-Britain, Holland, Danmark found their way. In the first decennia of the 17th century they first tried to use the indians on these islands for forced labor, which of course wasn’t a success. Uprisings and many genocides were the result. In the middle of the 17th century there were still indians on most islands. Probably on Statia as well.