From La Vega to Vancouver
Within the NEXUS1492 project, my research looks at the ceramic transformation that occurred in Spanish towns in early colonial Hispaniola as a result of the Amerindian-Spanish-African interactions that occurred within these towns. Potentially, this project will give some insight in how people were dealing with the changing cultural environment around them.
Starting Research in La Vega
A starting point for me was June/July 2016, when I, together with students from the Leiden University fieldschool of EL Flaco, conducted analysis in the ford of Concepción de la Vega. An improvised desk made from a stone bench, some bricks and an old wooden board provided a comfortable workplace in the shade. We started by looking through the piles and piles of boxes with ceramics, which was sometimes complicated as the boxes also the housed some very large Tarantulas who did not like their house to be disturbed. This resulted in some hilarious situations for the local people who were helping us on site.
Working in the Museum with Students
Students first learned to separate the European imported ceramics from the local ceramics. We then proceeded in analyzing the local ceramics; recording vessel shape, rim shape, diameter, decoration, colors, firing atmosphere, slips, manufacturing techniques and sherd hardness. By studying the ceramics this way, we can compare the colonial ceramics with the pre-colonial ceramics from the Dominican Republic and reveal the continuities and changes in the making of these pots. During the analysis we have had several visits on site from tourists as well as schoolchildren. This gave us a nice opportunity to explain people about the importance of the site, or even archaeology in general. It was not only a nice change from the many bags of ceramics to analyze, but it also made us think about what we were doing and why we were doing it.
SAA, Vancouver
Several months after this fieldwork I went to the SAA in Vancouver, Canada, where PhD-student Floris Keehnen and Prof. Dr. Corinne Hofman organized a session on colonial encounters. The SAA (Society for American Archaeologists) is is an international organization dedicated to the research, interpretation, and protection of the archaeological heritage of the Americas.
The NEXUS1492-Project was well represented in different sessions and hosted the session “Material encounters and indigenous transformations in the early colonial Americas”. The aim of this session was to bring together people working across this region and foster a much needed discussion on early colonial transformations of indigenous material culture repertoires. During this session there were 14 presentations, covering a wide range of topics dealing with colonial situations from a broad range of geographical contexts in the Americas.
It was a great opportunity for me to present my research and how it is connects to the NEXUS1492 project. Presenting my preliminary data during my presentation “Breaking and Making Identities: Transformations of Ceramic Repertoires in Early Colonial Hispaniola“, gave me the opportunity to reflect on my data and get feedback from experts in this field. Aside from this, having almost 4000 archaeologists visiting the same city offered a precious opportunity to network and meet new people.