Restoring Sacred Spaces: Archaeology of Cemeteries Associated with Marginalized Groups in New York City

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Archaeology of Marginalization and Resilience in the Northeast", at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The archaeological investigation of the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan changed the way that archaeologists engage with descendant communities in NYC and beyond. Nearly all of the burial places for free and enslaved persons of African descent in NYC were destroyed and redeveloped, usually without the removal of remains. An unknown number of cemeteries for enslaved persons likely existed in NYC that were never recorded while Indigenous burial sites were frequent targets for avocational archaeologists in the early 20th century. This paper will examine the history of municipal and social control of bodies—both living and dead— representing marginalized groups and the legal and financial obstacles that marginalized communities faced when attempting to preserve sacred sites. Decades after the investigation of the African Burial Ground, archaeologists are currently working with local communities and descendant groups at numerous burial sites to help reclaim lost sacred places throughout NYC.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• Archaeology of Marginalization and Resilience in the Northeast

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow