Presenter: Taylor Dodrill
Mentors: Scott Fitzpatrick and Greg Nelson, Anthropology
Poster: 19
Majors: Biology and Anthropology
The dearth of laws protecting cultural heritage in many Caribbean small island nations, or the lack of resources to enforce such laws, has led to destruction of numerous sites due to the removal of remains that would otherwise provide important archaeological information to help establish cultural context and affinity. We present an analysis of unprovenienced human remains that were in storage on the private island of Mustique in the Grenadines, southern Caribbean, but that were reportedly taken by a local resident from the smaller nearby island of Petite Mustique for personal use and display. With permission from the Mustique Company, archaeologists brought the remains to the University of Oregon’s Island & Coastal Archaeology Laboratory for analysis. The goal was to determine the number of individuals present, their probable age, sex, pathologies, and possible ancestry, in order to assist in repatriation. Preliminary results suggest that the collection consists of 341 bones or bone fragments, representing four adult individuals. Initial age and sex estimates for the three more complete individuals indicate that two are middle-aged males and one an older female. Robust muscle insertions of one adult male may indicate strenuous activity
in life. Intermingling of cattle bone with the remains, dental wear patterns, and other skeletal indicators suggest that these individuals probably date to the historic period. Further analysis that is now underway, including 3D geometric morphometrics of the skulls, will attempt to identify ancestry in more detail so the remains can be properly repatriated.