Blood is thicker than water: Amerindian intra- and inter-insular relationships and social organization in the pre-Colonial Windward Islands

Abstract

This study represents a

contribution to the pre-Colonial archaeology of the Windward Islands in

the Caribbean. The research aimed to determine how the Ceramic Age (400

BC – AD 1492) Amerindian inhabitants of the region related to one another and others at various geographic scales, with a view to better understanding social interaction and organization within the Windward Islands as well the integration of this region within the macro-region. This research approached the study of intra- and inter-island interaction and social development through an island-by-island study of 640 archaeological sites and their ceramic assemblages. Besides providing insight into settlement sequences, patterns and micro-mobility through time, it also highlighted various configurations of sites spread across islands that were united by shared ceramic (decorative) traits. These configurations were more closely examined by taking recourse to graph-theory. By extending the comparative scope of this research, possible material cultural influences from more distant regions could be suggested. While Windward Island communities developed a localized material cultural identity, they remained open to influences from outside the micro-region. Windward Island communities actively and flexibly realigned themselves with several mainland South American societies in Late Ceramic Age times (AD 700-1500), forging and maintaining significant ties and exchange relationships