Appropriating Language: The Historical-Archaeological Context Of ‘Grumetes’ In Sources On West African Mariners

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Maritime Archaeology in West Africa", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Finding direct evidence of West African mariners in early modern European sources is like following a trail of breadcrumbs. African labor was vital to regional and global commerce and culture, but is often obscured by European sources. One example is the Portuguese term "grumete,” which technically means a “cabin boy,” but was then appropriated, redefined, and (mis)transcribed by other Europeans. Historical archaeological studies have often misunderstood the roles and identification of grumetes, often equating them to canoemen, pilots, or other West African maritime laborers, including those who used traditional watercraft to trade with Europeans offshore. This paper presents preliminary conclusions from Portuguese archival sources that revisit grumetes’ roles in comparison and contrast with other West African maritime communities like boatmen or canoemen. Textual sources help clarify past archaeological studies and provide clues of material culture that might be otherwise overlooked in studies of indigenous maritime labor.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• Maritime Archaeology in West Africa

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow