Presenter: Taylor Dodrill
Co-Presenters: Greg Nelson, Jessica Stone, Scott Fitzpatrick
Faculty Mentor: Greg Nelson, Scott Fitzpatrick
Presentation Type: Poster 57
Primary Research Area: Science
Major: Anthropology, Biology
Funding Source: UROP Mini-Grant, UROP, $1000
The bioarchaeological record of the southern Caribbean reflects a diverse population history due to the replacement of founding indigenous groups by European and African populations. This is a result of colonial incursion and processes surrounding the Transatlantic Slave Trade that occurred over a period of centuries. This complex history can present problems for proper dispensation of archaeological material and human skeletal remains, particularly those recovered outside the strictures of controlled excavation. In this case study we examined a collection of unprovenienced skeletal material comprising four individuals of unknown ancestry. This collection derives from a private collection on the island of Mustique in the southern Grenadines that supposedly originated on the smaller nearby island of Petite Mustique. Ancestry has been estimated using a combination of craniometrics and dental morphology, the latter assessed by scoring a suite of 23 Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System (ASUDAS) traits for comparison against existing population data from Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Standard craniometric measurements were also assessed using the FORDISC database. We find that these data do not support an Amerindian ancestry for these individuals, and instead and/or African descent that date to the historic period. These and other ongoing analyses, including possible mtDNA extraction and stable isotope analyses, should help in efforts to repatriate the remains to the appropriate governing body and location.