You are what you eat? - Did food consumption reflect status, ethnical or cultural differentiation on the island of Saba between the late 18th to the early 20th century?

Summary

Social position, ethical origin, cultural background and diet are found to be strongly intertwined, therefore faunal remains provide a unique opportunity to explore differences in diet between different ethnical groups and/or social classes. Hence we studied the zoological remains from the pre- and post-emancipation of three archaeological sites on Saba (late 18th to the early 20th century), which were inhabited by different groups of people, such as impoverished people of European descent, freed people of African descent and enslaved people of African descent. We found that the major components of their diets were fish, molluscs and domesticated animals. However, the diet on the site that was inhabited by people from all backgrounds, was mostly comprised of marine resources which resembled closely the dietary pattern of precolonial times. This site also displayed the least indications for socially high valued foods compared to the other sites. The other two sites, which were inhabited by people from similar backgrounds, sustained a terrestrial based diet. These results further illustrate how zooarchaeological remains used together with ecological concepts can contribute to a better understanding of past life ways and this especially for groups who were barely visible from historical accounts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage