Archaeological Investigation of Suriname Maroon Ancestral Communities

The following report outlines archaeological findings from two eighteenth-century Maroon ancestral settlements in Suriname, South America. Maroons are descendants of escaped slaves and their social development presents a unique perspective of African-Diaspora material culture. The initial objective of the archaeological research was to identify, survey and excavate ancestral settlements for artifacts depicting kin-group divisions and clustering and material culture resources. In August and September of 1997, members of the Maroon Heritage Research Project (MHRP) identified the Saramaka site, Kumako and Matawai site, Tuido located in the Suriname and Saramaka River basins, respectively (Figure 1). The location and general historical overview of each ancestral settlement was determined from the available body of literature on Suriname Maroons, more specifically, the Saramaka (Bos, 1998; Fermin, 1781; Goslinga, 1971, 1979, 1985; Green, 1974; Hoogbergen, 1990; Jackson, 1965; Khudabux, 1999; Klooster, 1997; Price, 1975, 1983a, 1983b, 1990, 1996; Price and Price, 1980, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2003; Stedman, 1796). The project progressed to collecting ethnohistorical accounts on the place names, and building liaisons with various Maroon governing bodies (notably, the then Saramaka paramount chief and the current Matawai paramount chief). All these avenues of inquiry generated questions about the settlements for village elders and key individuals in the Maroon social structure, who would later become integral to the overall success of the project. The field excursions were successful in that they led to the identification of both these settlements (see Figure 1). The discussion that follows describes the objectives designed for each archaeological site and subsequent excavation season. Saramaka Site, Kumako During the 1997 survey season, members of the MHRP crew were escorted to Kumako by a village elder who are the individuals most knowledgeable about the history of the site. The initial travel route and destination were pre-plotted and tracked with a hand-held GPS device and then mapped. Upon arrival at the general coordinates (4° 24' 50.0394" N latitude and 55° 27' 43.6206" W longitude), a rock structure was identified that still remains as a marker for the northernmost boundary of the site. The site sits at a mean elevation of 293 metres above sea level.1 Areas with surface artifact scatters were identified and recorded with a hand-held GPS device. Artifacts included a musket ball cache and fragments of ceramic pottery. The discovery of these items further substantiated the location of the site, but no excavation took place at this time. Excavation of the Kumako settlement began during the 2000 fall field season. Multiple goals were considered at this time. The first objective was to create a path through the forest to connect the Suriname River Valley with the Saramaka River Valley, passing either north or south of the Ebba Top Ridge. This path would allow for easier interior forest travel and ultimately foster simultaneous excavation at multiple sites. In addition, it would aid in the understanding of how early Saramakaans and Matawais may have used these same methods for strategic travel and communication between the major rivers. Although MHRP members were unable to create the forest path, some helpful and important information was gathered. First, it gave us a sense of the terrain, flora, fauna, and conditions of the interior forest. This area is no longer inhabited by humans due to its distance from major waterways. Secondly, some of the crew who made it to the Ebba Top peak were able to take GPS readings along the way. These GPS points allowed us to get a clearer idea of where Ebba Top was situated with regard to Kumako. Thirdly, along the way, both crews came across other potential sites - flat areas near water that appeared to have been cleared earlier in the history of the area. Moreover, we realized that clearing a path connecting the two river valleys was too impractical and labour intensive given the time frame with mainly student volunteers, forcing us to focus on excavation at one river valley per field season (personal communication from Becker, 2000). …