Unforgotten: the osteobiography of an enslaved woman and child from 18th century Saba

Abstract

In this article the authors present the osteobiographical analysis of a unique burial from Saba, an island in the Caribbean Netherlands. Historical, archaeological, osteological, and isotopic analysis indicate that this is the burial of a first generation enslaved African woman and her unborn child, which occurred between 1762 and 1780. These individuals probably died during protracted preterm labour possibly caused by a variety of factors including infection, malnutrition, and an extremely narrow pelvic inlet. In the past, narratives of enslavement on Saba have often been overlooked because the island did not engage in a full plantation economy. However, these skeletons are able to provide detailed first-hand evidence for the hardships of Saban enslavement, and thereby contribute to wider conversations on slavery and colonialism in the Caribbean.