Citizen Writes
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Beyond the parchment
2025-05-13
By Dr Alice Samson, Associate Professor in Archaeology, University of Leicester
Beyond the parchment: unearthing inclusive histories of the post-Columbian Caribbean
For too long, our understanding of the first hundred years of the post-Columbian Caribbean has been filtered through a distinctly Eurocentric lens – relying heavily on biased, text-based narratives from colonial powers. As an archaeologist, my research challenges this narrow view. I argue for a shift towards embracing the rich tapestry of material histories to achieve a truly inclusive understanding of this complex region.
The power of material histories
Official records like ship manifests and censuses offer limited perspectives, primarily reflecting the concerns of Spanish colonisers and often silencing Indigenous, African and other marginalised voices. This creates significant gaps, obscuring everyday life and alternative worldviews.
Archaeology offers a powerful means to bridge these silences. My work on Mona Island, between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, exemplifies this. By collaborating with local institutions to document the remarkable rock art found in its caves, we are uncovering invaluable insights into how diverse groups of people responded to the arrival of Christianity. These visual narratives reveal complex negotiations of belief systems and the emergence of new religious identities – a far cry from the dismissive accounts often found in colonial records. This work demonstrates how material culture can recover the untold stories and perspectives overlooked by written history.
Studying food traditions and its deep cultural significance
Food, an intrinsic part of daily life, provides another compelling avenue for exploring overlooked aspects of Caribbean history and resistance. The initial Spanish attempts to impose their European foodways on the Caribbean proved disastrous. Columbus’s first settlement, La Isabela, crumbled partly due to the settlers’ refusal to adapt to local subsistence strategies, leading to widespread starvation and malnutrition. This failure forced the Spanish to rapidly adopt local foods and practices, evidenced in new colonial towns by the prevalence of locally made pottery for cooking.
Conversely, Indigenous communities often rejected Spanish foodways, actively maintaining their own culinary traditions. The introduction of European animals like pigs and cattle significantly altered the Caribbean landscape and diets, while the Spanish readily adopted local stapes such as cassava bread. Through archaeological analysis of pottery residues and animal remains, we are piecing together the intricate shifts in diet for both colonisers and local populations. These early food exchanges laid the groundwork for the vibrant and diverse Caribbean cuisines we know today, a testament to the historical intermingling of African, Indigenous and Spanish influences.
Working with local activist groups
My project’s commitment to collaborating with local activist-artist-indigenous groups has profoundly shaped my academic approach. Access to museums and archaeological resources in the Caribbean is limited by underfunding and political challenges, leading to representations that fail to resonate with contemporary communities.
To counter these limitations, we are forging partnerships with cavers, artists and Indigenous activists to demystify archaeology and foster dialogues that empower communities with greater access to collections and sites. These collaborations have directly influenced our research focus, prompting us to explore themes like food, bodies and beliefs, which offer more intimate understandings of the past that hold deep meaning for local communities.
The legacies of 1492
The legacies of 1492 continue to resonate in contemporary global discussions surrounding migration, identity and colonial memory. My research underscores the importance of embracing broader, more diverse historical narratives that acknowledge the complex and multifaceted nature of the Caribbean’s colonial past. Traditional accounts often fall into simplistic binaries of conquerors and victims, neglecting the intricate interactions and cultural exchanges that defined this era.
Within decades of initial contact, Europeans established roots in the Americas, while Indigenous individuals found themselves in European cities like Seville. This was not a simple replacement of Caribbean populations; it was a dynamic and reciprocal cultural transformation. Recognising these complexities allows for a more nuanced understanding of identity formation and cultural legacy, moving beyond reductive stereotypes to appreciate the region’s rich and diverse heritage.
Dispelling misconceptions
If I could dispel one major misconception about post-Columbian Caribbean history, it would be the pervasive notion that Indigenous Caribbean populations were eradicated after 1492. While European colonisation brought devastating changes, these communities were not wiped out; they transformed in countless ways. Their histories persist in people today, the archaeological record, in oral traditions and in the enduring connection people have to their heritage.
Colonial narratives have often obscured these diverse stories, but they remain accessible and continue to empower communities today. By looking beyond the text and engaging with the material past, we can finally begin to unearth the inclusive and multifaceted histories that truly represent the Caribbean.