The 21st Congress of the International Association for Caribbean Archaeology (IACA) will be hosted by the Department of History from July 24 to 30 at UWI’s Learning Resource Centre. Held for the first time in Trinidad and Tobago, this biennial conference will bring together over 250 leading archaeologists from the Caribbean, Latin America, North America and Europe. Paper presentations at the conference will reflect a wide range of topics in Caribbean archaeology, such as geoinformatics in archaeology, prehistoric archaeology, historical archaeology, cultural resource management, physical anthropology and underwater archaeology.

In addition to reception hostings by the President of the Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency George Maxwell Richards; St. Augustine Campus Principal, Dr. Bhoe Tewarie; the Curator of the National Museum, Mr. Vel Lewis and the Head of the Tobago House of Assembly, Mr. Orville London, conference participants will be given tours of selected archaeological sites in Trinidad and Tobago. There will be a feature presentation by Arts in Action during the opening ceremony coupled with an ethnographic and archaeological display in the LRC during the period of the conference.

Given that over 200 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites have, to date, been identified in Trinidad and Tobago, the Twin Island Republic is an ideal venue for the IACA conference. Its close proximity to South America has made Trinidad and Tobago an important “gateway community” for early Amerindian migrants such as the Archaic, Saladoid, Arauquinoid and Mayoid peoples. Trinidad, in particular, holds a special place in Caribbean archaeology, because located in San Francique (in the southwest of the island) is the 7,000 year old site of Banwari Trace, the oldest archaeological site in the West Indies. In November 1969, the Trinidad and Tobago Historical Society discovered the remains of a human skeleton. Dubbed “Banwari Man” and hailed as Trinidad’s oldest resident, these skeletal remains are presently in the custody of the Life Sciences Department, UWI, St. Augustine. Like Dominica and St. Vincent, Trinidad also bears the distinction of having Amerindian descendants, a notable example being the Santa Rosa Carib Community. Founded by Capuchin missionaries in the late 1700s and based in Arima, the Santa Rosa Community continues to affirm their cultural identity through an array of activities such as the Feast of Santa Rosa and Smoke Ceremony. The IACA conference will therefore provide Trinidad and Tobago with the opportunity of showcasing its rich Amerindian ethnography and diverse archaeological heritage to both regional and international audiences. The conference will also allow local archaeologists to establish useful professional linkages with their international counterparts.

The conference is timely, as it comes on the heels of the resuscitation of the University’s archaeology programme in 2001. UWI’s archaeology programme began, in fact, in the early 1980s and was motivated by the need to adequately research and document Trinidad and Tobago’s predominantly pre-Columbian sites. In this regard, through the efforts of Dr. Arie Boomert (Senior Research Fellow in Archaeology from 1980-1988), the Archaeology Centre was established in the Department of History in 1980. After Dr. Boomert’s departure, the Centre was maintained by Mr. Peter Harris of TRINTOC who served as Honorary Research Fellow. After Mr. Harris’s departure in 1990, the Centre came under the care of Mr. Archibald Chauharasingh who also served as Secretary to the Cabinet-appointed National Archeological Committee. From July 1992 to June 1993, Dr. Nicholas Saunders served as Research Fellow, funded by a grant from the Rhodes House Trust. He completed the Trinidad Site Inventory, which had been started by Dr. Boomert and Mr. Harris in 1984, and participated in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in the Department of History. After Dr. Saunders’ departure in 1993, Professor K.O. Laurence, Emeritus Professor of History and Chairman of the National Archaeological Committee, provided general leadership to the Centre. Over the years, the National Archaeological Committee has facilitated archaeological projects in Trinidad and Tobago mostly by expatriate archaeologists, for example, excavations at Manzanilla, Hondo River and Lopinot (Trinidad) and Golden Grove (Tobago).

Since August 2001 (after a 13-year hiatus), the Department of History has had a full-time archaeologist, Dr. Basil Reid. Since his arrival, Dr. Reid, with the assistance of the Department of History and the Faculty of Humanities and Education, has effectively re-organised the Archaeology Centre and introduced the following undergraduate archaeology courses: Introduction to Archaeology, Research Methods and Techniques in Archaeology, A Survey of World Prehistory and Historical Archaeology. Approximately sixty (60) students are enrolled in the archaeology programme each year. Students are exposed to the practical aspects of archaeology through field trips to various sites in Trinidad, such as Ghandi Village and La Fortune in south Trinidad and Blanchisseuse in north Trinidad as well as Lover’s Retreat in Tobago. Students have also been involved in a variety of post-excavation activities such as washing, sorting and cataloguing of artifacts. Since 2001, the Archaeology Centre has acquired state-of-the-art equipment designed to facilitate more effective archaeological surveys and excavations. Thanks to the Faculty of the Humanities and Education, the Archaeology Centre was recently relocated to a new space in the Humanities Building, which is equipped with proper teaching, conservation and teaching facilities.

These developments are demonstrative of some of the positive trends in archaeology coupled with the importance that U.W.I. has ascribed to the work of the Archaeology Centre. The IACA conference, which will be hosted by the Department of History in July of this year, will certainly encourage continued growth of the University’s archaeology programme. Not only will it place the Twin Island Republic in the international spotlight, but it will also generate new research projects and public interest in the discipline of archaeology, which will redound immensely to the country’s benefit.

The conference is open to members of the public especially professional and amateur archaeologists, history teachers and students, cultural resource mangers and heritage professionals. In order to encourage their participation, special conference registration fees are available for Trinidad and Tobago’s secondary school students. Interested persons can contact the IACA Secretariat at 662-2002 ext. 3306; Fax No. 645-1144; e-mail: iaca@fhe.uwi.tt or visit our website: http://sta.uwi.edu/conferences/iaca