Comparing Patterns of Skeletal Pathology in Enslaved Africans from an Eighteenth-Century Cemetery on St. Eustatius

Summary

This is an abstract from the "NSF REU Site: Exploring Globalization through Archaeology 2019–2020 Session, St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This research investigates the patterns of skeletal pathology of 15 enslaved individuals in an eighteenth-century cemetery on St. Eustatius. Nine different pathology markers were analyzed from the 15 individuals of St. Eustatius and compared to individuals from the Newton Plantation Cemetery on Barbados and the New York African Burial Ground (NYABG) to see if the trade-based economy of Statia affected slave health and quality of life. Frequencies of each marker were calculated. Schmorl’s nodes and vertebral osteophytes were most frequent in the St. Eustatius individuals. In addition, rates of enthesopathy and periostitis were significantly lower on St. Eustatius than compared with the other sites. The remaining pathological markers had relatively comparable frequencies. Despite comparable frequencies, the degree of each marker measured at the Newton Plantation Cemetery and the NYABG were more severe as compared to the St. Eustatius sample. This difference in severity of pathological conditions indicates the island’s trade-based economy may have affected the enslaved population by reducing physical strain on their bodies in comparison to similar enslaved populations. This comparative study is important in adjusting biased historical accounts of slavery on St. Eustatius and provides a perspective on the range of physical stresses associated with slavery.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• NSF REU Site: Exploring Globalization through Archaeology 2019–2020 Session, St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean   •
• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33590