The earliest inhabitants : the dynamics of the Jamaican Taíno

The Earliest Inhabitants aims to promote Jamaican Tanan archaeology and highlight the diverse research conducted on the islands prehistoric sites and artefacts. Of the fourteen papers in this volume, six are reprints of seminal articles that are not widely available and eight are based on recent archaeological research. The chapters are organized by thematic divisions that reflect the most important areas of Assessment and Excavations of Tano Sites looks at the various archaeological investigations across the island; Tano Exploitation of the Natural Resources examines how the Tanos took advantage of the natural environment to fulfil their needs; Analysis of Tano Archaeological Data highlights research conducted on various artefacts; and Tano Art Forms focuses specifically on evidence of Tano cave art and its impact on the interpretation of the Jamaican Tano livelihood. In her introduction, Lesley-Gail Atkinson explains, Jamaican prehistory is regarded as one of the least studied Caribbean disciplines. That is not necessarily the case; the fact is that published Jamaican archaeological research has not had sufficient international circulation. This has resulted in misconceptions about lack of scope, research activities and information on the Jamaican Tano. This volume seeks to redress this invaluable in its own right as a collection of distinguished scholarship, The Earliest Inhabitants is remarkable, too, for being the first compilation on the Jamaican Tanos since 1897. This collection will appeal to a wide audience of archaeologists, historians, students of archaeology and anyone interested in Jamaicas history and archaeology Contents ......Page 8 List of Illustrations ......Page 10 List of Tables ......Page 13 Preface ......Page 14 Acknowledgements ......Page 16 Introduction ......Page 18 Section 1: Assessment and Excavation of Taíno Sites ......Page 28 1. The Development of Jamaican Prehistory ......Page 30 2. The Taímp Settlement of the Kingston Area ......Page 51 3. The Pre-Columbian Site of Chancery Hall, St Andrew ......Page 64 4. Excavations at Green Castle, St Mary ......Page 86 5. The Impact of Land-Based Development on Taíno Archaeology in Jamaica ......Page 92 Section 2: Taíno Exploitation of Natural Resources ......Page 104 6. Notes on the Natural History of Jamaica ......Page 106 7. The Exploitation and Transformation of Jamaica's Natural Vegetation ......Page 114 8. Early Arawak Subsistence Strategies: The Rodney's House Site of Jamaica ......Page 130 Section 3: Analysis of Taíno Archaeological Data ......Page 146 9. Petrography and Source of Some Arawak Rock Artefacts from Jamaica ......Page 148 10. Jamaican Taíno Pottery ......Page 163 11. Jamaican Redware ......Page 170 12. Taíno Ceramics from Post-Contact Jamaica ......Page 178 Section 4: Taíno Art Forms ......Page 192 13. The Petroglyphs of Jamaica ......Page 194 14. Zemís, Trees and Symbolic Landscapes: Three Taíno Carvings from Jamaica ......Page 204 References ......Page 216 Contributors ......Page 231 The development of Jamaican prehistory / William F. Keegan and Lesley-Gail Atkinson The Taino settlement of the Kingston area / Philip Allsworth-Jones ... [et al.] The Pre-Columbian site of Chancery Hall, St Andrew / Philip Allsworth-Jones ... [et al.] Excavations at Green Castle, St Mary / Philip Allsworth-Jones and Kit Wesler The impact of land-based development on Taino archaeology in Jamaica / Andrea Richards Notes on the natural history of Jamaica / Wendy A. Lee The exploitation and transformation of Jamaica's natural vegetation / Lesley-Gail Atkinson Early Arawak subsistence strategies: the Rodney's House site of Jamaica / Sylvia Scudder Petrography and source of some Arawak rock artefacts from Jamaica / M. John Roobol and James W. Lee Jamaican Taino pottery / Norma Rodney-Harrack Jamaican redware / James W. Lee Taino ceramics from post-contact Jamaica / Robyn P. Woodward The petroglyphs of Jamaica / James W. Lee Zemis, trees and symbolic landscapes: three Taino carvings from Jamaica / Nicholas Saunders and Dorrick Gray Aims to promote Jamaican Tainan archaeology and highlight the diverse research conducted on the island's prehistoric sites and artefacts. This volume contains fourteen papers; and its chapters are organized by thematic divisions that reflect the important areas of research. It is intended for archaeologists, historians and students of archaeology.