Besaw, Courtney Michelle
(2024)
Maroons on Providencia: An Archaeological Look at Self-Emancipation and the Peripheries of Empire in the Western Caribbean.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
One powerful form of resistance to colonial powers during the 16th-19th centuries was the formation of Maroon communities. These Maroon communities are primarily comprised of African diasporic peoples who escaped enslavement to live independently from colonial societies. Maroons have existed everywhere that enslaved people existed, including the small, western Caribbean island of Providencia, Colombia. Providencia lies about 150 miles off the coast of Nicaragua and was home to Maroons for much of the colonial period. With no known permanent pre-colonial occupants, the island was colonized by the British and then the Spanish before being officially “abandoned” in 1671. Oral histories however, which are taken in this research as a line of evidence, assert that the island was continuously occupied by Maroon communities formed shortly after the first enslaved Africans were brought to the island.
The research presented here consisted of surface collections and excavations at four Maroon sites on Providencia – Maroon Hill (Site 7), Shortcut (Site 14), and two sites at Manchaneel Hill (Sites 20 and 21). Archaeological evidence suggests a different Maroon lifeway and trajectory on Providencia than is found in many other archaeologically studied Maroons. There is no break in the archaeological record suggesting a “period of abandonment” – instead this period should be known as the “Maroon period” as Maroons were the only permanent residents on the island. During this time, archaeological evidence suggests that Maroons were trading extensively with outsiders for European materials. In addition to this, this research presents the first evidence of colonoware on the island.
Community archaeology with the Native Raizal and a framework of Black resistance serve as essential research paradigms. Studying the process by which Maroons survived, adapted, and thrived in various settings across the African diaspora is essential to a more holistic understanding of colonial history. The Maroons on Providencia created their own culture and identity by navigating a growing global system through illicit trade as well as relatively autonomous living far from any formal colonial power, challenging current assumptions about what it means to be Maroon.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Besaw, Courtney Michelle | cob55@pitt.edu | cob55 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
24 April 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
27 August 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
29 July 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
312 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Anthropology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Maroon, archaeology, historical archaeology, Caribbean, community archaeology, colonialism, African diaspora, colonial, Providencia, Colombia, island, oral history, Maroon period, Maroon lifeway, colonoware, Raizal |
| Date Deposited: |
27 Aug 2024 13:26 |
| Last Modified: |
27 Aug 2024 13:26 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46776 |
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