Science

The SVG Public Archaeology Program

• Fascinating
• Jaw-Dropping
• Adventure

The SVG Public Archaeology Program, also affectionately known as SVG Digs, was created out of the desire to rescue and record a highly unique and significant archaeological site from being destroyed during construction of the new international airport on the island of St. Vincent in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).  The results from our pilot season in January 2011 are helping to rewrite the prehistory of this lesser known Caribbean nation… but there is so much more work that needs to be done!

Why SVG Digs?

The main goal of the SVG Digs project was to record as much of the archaeology as possible to the site of Argyle 2, prior to its destruction during construction of the airport runway.  As both time and funding were in short supply, a volunteer archaeology program was proposed.  Co-ordination between a number of volunteers and several archaeologists would allow for a large area of the site to be examined in a relatively short period, without comprising the fundamental archaeological values of SVG Digs.

Why is this project important to the community?

St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) remains one of the poorest of the Caribbean islands, despite many unique features.  Its economy has been heavily dependent on agriculture, with banana plantations and production accounting for 60% of the work force and half of the nation’s exports; this heavy reliance on a single crop has made their economy vulnerable and, unfortunately, susceptible to decline.  In recent years, private and public sector projects have focused on tourism, with the largest endeavour being the construction of a new international airport able to accommodate transoceanic flights, with hopes of increasing tourism and acting as a new entry point for all the wonders that the Caribbean has to offer.  The airport project is transforming over 3% of the island, terra-forming mountains, hills, jungles and valleys into the footprint of a modern-day terminal and extensive runway.  Within this footprint are a number of significant archaeology sites.

SVG is a country where there are no local archaeologists, where there is no archaeological legislation, where, if SVG Digs and its volunteers didn’t come, the archaeology within the runway would get destroyed.  The SVG Public Archaeology Program increases awareness for SVG’s archaeological remains and provides proof of prehistoric occupation that extends back up to 2,000 years.  At the same time, it raises awareness and interest in a newly possible career option, so that one day, professional local archaeologists can continue our work.  Hopefully, in time, this work will be guided by legislation that helps protect archaeological resources from being destroyed prior to development.

What do we know so far?

In the 2011 pilot season of the SVG Public Archaeology Program, the site of Argyle 2 was excavated.  A number of volunteers from around the world, including Canada, the US and Greece, were involved in excavating and rescuing the soon-to-be-destroyed archaeological remains.  Argyle 2 proved to be unique and, therefore, quite significant for the island of St. Vincent and for the Caribbean as a whole.  Highlights from the 2011 season include:

• A mass grave, with multiple burials in haphazard positions and few grave goods
• A deviant burial, uniquely interred face-down and extended, with another disarticulated skeleton atop its lower limbs.  Also included was a small collection of grave goods, including pottery and stone flakes, defying the negative connotations often associated with deviant burials.
• These sherds later refit into a complete pot, forming a unique vessel form previously unidentified in St. Vincent; preliminary investigations reveal it had never been identified elsewhere in the Caribbean.

What do we want to do in 2012?

The goals of 2012 field season are threefold:

1. salvage the remains of the group burials and advance our understanding of the burial practices at Argyle 2 and throughout the Caribbean,
2. continue excavation on the domestic portion of the site to establish the relationship between the grave site area and the living areas, and
3. to create and foster an archaeologically invested community amongst the growing populace and highly interested and invested local populations of SVG.

What will we do with our rocket fuel?

The SVG Public Archaeology Program operates on a not-for-profit, volunteer basis, and is funded entirely by volunteer fees.  These fees have just been able to cover the basic costs of being in St. Vincent, and are honestly not enough.  Your rocket fuel will go towards the following expenses.

Logistics – Vehicle rental for archaeologists and volunteers to travel to and from site, the airport, and other local getaways in order for our volunteers to have a full experience in St. Vincent.

Excavation – Our tools are loaned by the SVG National Trust, which itself is poorly funded. Tools are in short supply and are not in the greatest condition.  Rocket fuel will help purchase new shovels, hoes, trowels, small finds tools, and buckets, as well as (hopefully), a wheel barrow (or 2?).

Lab – All our finds need to be properly stored so that they will be in the best condition for future research.  Rocket fuel will help purchase plastic and paper bags of various sizes, as well as archival boxes and artifact labels.

Any extra rocket fuel?

Some things we can do with any extra funds:

Obtain radiocarbon dates (or something similar) from the materials recovered from site.

All of our archaeologists are part of SVG Digs on a volunteer basis; they take time out of their regular lives and their regular jobs to help the people of St. Vincent.  If we raise extra rocket fuel, it would be nice to give them a small stipend for their time and expertise. 

If we are far beyond our goal, we would roll funds forward for a 2013 season, so that our work can continue.

Side notes and thanks

This program was made possible through the relationships established by the co-directors during their initial visit to St. Vincent in 2009, when the first large-scale excavations took place on the island, under the direction of Joe Moravetz of Bison Historical Services.  Mrs. Kathy Martin, then Chair of the SVG National Trust, and Dr. Rudolph Mattias, CEO of the International Airport Development Company (IADC), were very keen on continuing research into the SVG archaeological record.  Their support and cooperation, combined with that of Dr. Richard Callaghan of the University of Calgary, allowed for continued professional archaeological excavations to be conducted at the site of Argyle 2.

If you are not familiar with how RocketHub works, read on!

1. RocketHub is not an investment or charity. It is an exchange: funds from fans for rewards from me.
2. It's an All & More funding mechanism: if I don't reach my financial goal I get to keep what I raise. But if I do reach my goal, I get access to exciting opportunities.