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A HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT (AHM) IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Basil Reid and Vel Lewis_________________________________________________________________________________

This paper provides a history of archaeological heritage management in Trinidad and Tobago. Firstly, it gives a broad sweep of the development of AHM in Trinidad and Tobago from the early beginnings in 1892 with the founding of the Royal Victoria Institute, the establishment of the National Archaeological Committee in 1979, the appointment of the

heritage. Finally, the paper offers suggestions as to how archaeological resources in the twin island republic can be more effectively managed for optimal results.

presenta una exposición extensa del desarrollo de la AHM en Trinidad y Tobago desde su creación en 1892 con la

el establecimiento tanto del Museo de Tobago como de la Dirección General del Patrimonio de Tobago en 1992, el pasaje

y Tobago. Finalmente, la ponencia presenta algunas sugerencias de cómo se pueden gestionar de manera más efectiva los

le texte se concentre sur l’importance de plusieurs de ces événements sur la protection et la préservation du patrimoine

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Introduction

According to the 1990 Charter of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the archaeological heritage constitutes the basic record of past human activities. Its protection and proper management are therefore essential, as they enable archaeologists and other scholars to study

other Caribbean territories, Trinidad and Tobago has made important strides in the management of its

heritage management organizations over the years but also in the passage of legislation designed to

Chapter:

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better protect the archaeological heritage of the twin island republic. Even though their roles have not

agencies entrusted with this major responsibility are the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago, the National Archaeological Committee of Trinidad and Tobago, the National Museum, the Tobago Trust and Museum and the Archaeology Centre at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. Providing an important legislative framework for AHM are the Marine Areas Preservation and Enhancement Act of 1970, the National Trust Act of 1991 and the Protection of Wrecks Act in 1994. In 2005, Trinidad and Tobago became signatory to the World Heritage Convention, which has clearly set the stage for the country to win UNESCO approval for a handful of sites to be placed on the World Heritage List of Protected Sites and Monuments. Despite this, rapid developments that threaten the integrity of sites,

Trinidad and Tobago.

discuss the history of AHM in the twin island republic. Important AHM watersheds will be highlighted, with the discussion eventually focusing on the signing of the UNESCO Convention in February 2005.

country’s archaeological heritage.

History of AHM in Trinidad and TobagoRoyal Victoria Institute (RVI)

th century, with the

prehistoric Amerindian middens by R .J. Lechmere Guppy in 1864 and the discovery of a large midden in Erin, south Trinidad (Boomert 2000). However, archaeological heritage management in Trinidad and Tobago began in earnest with the founding of the Royal Victoria Institute (RVI) in the late 19th

century. The Royal Victoria Institute (Figure 1) constructed in 1892 in commemoration of the Jubilee of

Queen Victoria and as part of a general British colonial policy to build cultural institutions throughout the Commonwealth, has several archaeological collections. The collections were the product of chance

artifacts retrieved from the Erin midden by H. Fowler and Sir William Robinson in May 1888 and in later years, a large assemblage of Saladoid artifacts discovered on the Paria Main Road in Blanchisseuse by H.C. Potter in 1958 (Boomert 2000). Presently housed in the Royal Victoria Institute is the National

was enlarged to include a reading room and a recreation room and lawn tennis courts were developed on the grounds. In 1945, the Colonial Government, acknowledging the need for a museum in the

the Institute the formal status of a museum. However, at Independence in 1962, the collections were removed to the former Governor’s mansion where it was hoped that the National Museum would be relocated. This plan did not materialize and the collections were eventually returned to the Royal Victoria Institute building.

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Victoria Institute building and archaeological heritage can now be seen not only at the National Museum in the RVI building but also in the Money Museum at the Central Bank, the Military Museum in Chaguaramas, Cleaver Woods Park near Arima and at the Wild Fowl Trust in Point-a-Pierre.

The National Archaeological CommitteeEstablished by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in March 1979, the National Archeological Committee’s role is to advise the Minister with responsibility for Culture on archaeologically related matters and to monitor archaeological research projects in the twin island republic. The Committee was initially established due to a proposal for a team of archaeologists to carry out research in Tobago and consequently part of the Committee’s mandate was to coordinate the activities of this research project. In collaboration with the Archaeology Centre at The University of the West Indies, the Committee has prepared an inventory of the country’s archaeological sites, which number about 300. One of the Committee’s principal’s functions is to assist the country’s Planning Authorities to protect known archaeological sites from being damaged by activities connected with developmental projects, and to this end it works in continuous consultation with the Town and Country Planning Division. In the management and oversight of Trinidad and Tobago’s archaeological heritage, the Committee also works closely with the resident archaeologist of The University of the West Indies at St. Augustine.

of sites such as Manzanilla, Hondo River and Lopinot (Trinidad) and Golden Grove (Tobago).

The Advisory Committee on Historic WrecksThe protection of underwater archaeological heritage was given attention in 1994 with the passing of the Protection of Wrecks Act. The Act was intended to secure the protection of wrecks in the Territorial Waters of Trinidad and Tobago and the sites of such wrecks from interference by unauthorized persons and for related purposes. Aimed at ensuring that the provisions of the Act were carried out with particular reference to the management of marine archaeology, an Advisory Committee on Historic Wrecks was duly appointed by the Government in 1995. The terms of reference of the Committee are as follows:

1. To advise the Honourable Minister of Works and Transport on sites to be designated for protection on the grounds of historical, archaeological or artistic interest, in accordance with the terms of the Protection of Wrecks Act.

by named individuals, and the conditions to be attached to the issue of such licenses.

3. To receive reports on progress made at individual sites and to consider any matter that

disposal of artifacts.

The committee has already prepared an inventory of over 50 sites. It is important to note that the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement Act) of 1970 has given additional legal protection

(d) of the Act, “The Minister may by Order designate any portion of the marine areas of Trinidad and

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Tobago as a restricted area where he considers that special steps are necessary for the promotion of

The Tobago Trust and MuseumIn 1976, “in a public-spirited gesture, the new Mount Irvine Bay Hotel and Golf Club purchased the archaeological collection of the deceased former Curator of the National Museum, Tom Cambridge”

from Trinidad and other islands) was put under the control of a Trust formed by the Hotel and Dr. Lou Lichtveld, an archaeologist resident in Tobago who oversaw the curatorship of this collection.

In order to enhance the protection and preservation of collections under the control of the Mount Irvine Hotel Trust, The Tobago House of Assembly established a public institution called the Tobago Trust and this body was inaugurated on October 27, 1990. The Trust Deed’s objectives are

A Trust is hereby established to be known as the Tobago Trust (hereinafter referred to as “the Trust”).The objectives of the Trust shall be as follows: -

1. The collection of works of art, cultural artifacts and items of national, artistic, cultural, natural and historical interest to Tobago.

monuments, works of art, cultural artifacts, objects and items of national and/or historical interest to Tobago or things of natural beauty, and

3. The administration and promotion of the Tobago Museum with a view to

The Mount. Irvine Hotel collection was subsequently handed over to the Tobago Trust and is now housed in the Tobago Museum. Operating under the auspices of the Tobago Trust in the Barrack Guard House of Fort King George, the Tobago Museum has a varied collection (Figures 4 and 5). The

buttons, coins, shells and minerals are some of the other collections.

The National Trust of Trinidad and TobagoThe National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago was established due, in no small part, to the assiduous efforts of many dedicated persons and interest groups such as the Citizens for Conservation (CFC). The growing concerns over the destruction of archaeological and historical sites in Trinidad and

Trust Act in 1991. The agitation for the establishment of the National Trust was further precipitated by the UNESCO draft Plan for Educational Development in Trinidad and Tobago 1968 – 1983, part of

years would pass before miscellaneous amendments were effected to the National Trust Act in 1999

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According to the Act, the National Trust was established for the purpose of carrying out the following functions:

1. Listing and acquiring property of interest as the Trust considers appropriate;

2. Preserving, maintaining, repairing and servicing or arranging for the preservation of property of interest other than land and where such property of interest comprises buildings, augmenting the amenities of such buildings and their surroundings;

3. Making provision for the access to and enjoyment of property of interest by the public;

4. Encouraging research into property of interest including, where applicable any animal, plant or marine life associated therewith;

5. Compiling photographic and architectural records of property of interest;

6. Making the public aware of the value and beauty of the heritage of Trinidad and Tobago;

7. Advising the Government on the conservation and the preservation of property of interest and on all matters referred to above.

chief instrument available to the Trust to preserve and protect the built and natural heritage in Trinidad and Tobago. Under this tenet, the National Trust Council is empowered to prepare lists (in other words to gazette) buildings and sites of particular national, historic, archaeological or architectural interest which should be preserved as listed properties.

The Archaeology Centre The Archaeology Centre in the Department of History at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine began in the early 1980s and was motivated by the need to adequately research and document Trinidad and Tobago’s archaeological heritage, particularly pre-Columbian sites. Through the efforts of Dr. Arie Boomert (Senior Research Fellow in Archaeology from 1980 to 1988), the Archaeology Centre was established in the Department of History in 1980. In 1984, Dr. Boomert and Mr. Peter Harris began compiling a detailed paper-based inventory of all known archaeological sites in Trinidad and Tobago. During his one-year stint as U.W.I.’s resident archaeologist in the early 1990s, Dr. Nicholas Saunders continued with the cataloguing of sites. The Archaeology Centre at The University of the West Indies

SGE-8 refers to Blanchisseuse in the county of St. George and VIC-30 refers to Atagual in the county of Victoria. With respect to Tobago, sites are listed as TOB with sequential numbers.

Since July 2001 (after a 13-year hiatus), the Department of History has had a full-time resident

at Blanchisseuse (north Trinidad), Gandhi Village (southwestern Trinidad) (Reid 2006a) and Lover’s

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Centre was relocated to a new space in the Faculty of Humanities, a move designed to make enhanced teaching, laboratory facilities more readily available to students. Public education efforts have

feature stories on the University’s archaeology programme. The process of public education has been considerably bolstered by a number of articles in STAN and UWItoday (the major media of the University) (Reid 2006b, 2006c).

The World Heritage ConventionTrinidad and Tobago signed the World Heritage Convention in February 2005, generally considered as

The Convention clearly establishes certain criteria for the selection of natural or cultural sites for inclusion on the World Heritage List of Protected Sites and Monuments. Moreover, it also sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them. By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage.

Assessing the AHM of Trinidad and Tobago

It is clear that Trinidad and Tobago has a reasonably good framework (both legislatively and institutionally) for archaeological heritage management. The Royal Victoria Institute, the Tobago Trust and Museum, the Archaeology Centre at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine together with a raft of laws such as the Ship Wrecks Protection Act, the Marine Areas (Preservation and Enhancement) Act, the National Trust Act and the UNESCO Convention have, no doubt, signaled

However, there are still many challenges in Trinidad and Tobago’s AHM that these legislative

date, not a single archaeological site in Trinidad and Tobago has been gazetted as a property of interest, although tentative steps are being made in that direction with respect to the 7,000 year old Banwari Trace, the oldest site in Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indies. Now that Trinidad and Tobago has become a signatory to the UNESCO Convention, it is hoped that Banwari Trace will not only be listed as a property of interest based on the National Trust Act but will eventually be listed as a World Heritage site.

The clandestine destruction of some archaeological sites in Trinidad and Tobago is continuing. Major developers, however, are constrained by the authority of the Minister of Town and Country

areas. However, this does not necessarily preclude the almost wanton destruction of sites as a direct result of urbanization, agriculture and industrialization (Landell Mills Report 1992).

The National Archaeological Committee is supposed to have an advisory role to the Minister on archaeologically related matters. However, this has not always been the modus operandi of the Committee, as the Committee now seems to have assumed considerable powers in approving or

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rejecting applications for archaeological work in Trinidad and Tobago, without consulting with the Minister with responsibility for Culture.

Moreover, there seems to be minimal networking among the major players of AHM, especially with respect to the sharing of information. While there are myriad paper-based records of archaeological collections and sites found at the Royal Victoria Institute, the National Museum, the Tobago Museum and the Archaeology Centre at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, these records are often disparate, unco

Recommendations

The following recommendations are proposed with a view towards resolving some of these challenges:

1. One of the ways to enhance archaeological heritage management in Trinidad and Tobago would

at the Archaeology Centre at The University of the West Indies, the National Museum and

repositories and then automate them through the use of Arc View geographic information systems (GIS). This will allow for more effective retrieval of site information based on their number, location, size and chronology. The proposed system, if implemented, would allow the easy retrieval site descriptions in relation of cultural and environmental features such as urbanized areas, roads, farming communities, wetlands, rivers, forests and coastlines. It is further proposed that The University of the West Indies, given its status as a major regional

be done in tandem with the other AHM institutions in Trinidad and Tobago.

2. AHM could also be improved through the systematic use of geographical information systems (GIS) predictive models (Reid 2003; Reid In press). These predictive models can assist us in (a)

for the discipline of archaeology. This activity could be part and parcel of the automation proposed as item 1.

3. The activities of the National Archaeological Committee should be more effectively regulated

on their various activities. Such a scenario will provide the necessary checks and balances in the approval and rejection of proposals for archaeological work in Trinidad and Tobago. As decisions concerning archaeological contracts often have wider implications for site protection and preservation, town and country planning and tourism, it is essential that the Minister of Culture be kept abreast of developments.

4. Enforcing the National Trust Act can help to abate the destruction of archaeological sites in

of interest, and steps should be taken to ensure that these sites receive constant monitoring and

can be a useful incentive to encourage the former to protect the archaeological heritage on their

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properties.

5. Another strategy would be to develop increased public awareness of archaeology and archaeological heritage management through the print and electronic media. If the people of Trinidad and Tobago are properly sensitized to the value of AHM, then it is likely that they will eventually become willing partners in the protection and preservation of their archaeological heritage.

Conclusion

Like many other Caribbean countries, the archaeological heritage management of Trinidad and Tobago is entrusted to a diverse collection of agencies that do not always work in tandem with one

the resuscitation of the archaeology programme at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine,

despite these challenges, a solid foundation for AHM in the twin island republic has already been laid. This foundation can, in turn, be used as an important springboard for future AHM successes, provided that policy makers and heritage managers are willing to work collaboratively among themselves and with the public at large.

References

Boomert, Arie2000 Trinidad, Tobago and the Lower Orinoco Sphere: An Archaeological and Ethnohistorical

Study. Cairi Publications, Alkmaar.Hernandez, Edward

1996 The History of the Tobago Museum. In Our Museum. Friends of the Museum Limited, Port of Spain.

Landell Mills Limited 1992 Oropouche Area Development Project. Middle Catchment Feasibility Study, Engineering

Planning and Surveying Service Limited, 45 Mucurapo Road, Port of Spain, Trinidad.Reid, Basil A. 2003 Developing GIS Weights-of-Evidence of Pre-Columbian Sites in Trinidad, PhD

Dissertation. Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, U.S.A. 2006a Returning to Gandhi Village, 2006. Bulletin Humanitas, The Humanities Division, The

University of the West Indies, St. Augustine.

2006b Returning to Gandhi Village, 2006. UWItoday, Sunday April 16, 2006, p. 15.

2006c Passing of Pioneer Research in Caribbean Archaeology. UWItoday, Sunday March 12, 2006, p. 15.

Reid, Basil A., editor n.d. Archaeology and Geoinformatics: Case Studies from the Caribbean, University of

Alabama Press (In Press).

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Figure 1: Royal Victoria Institute

Figures 2 and 3: Artifacts on Display in the National Museum, Port of Spain

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Figures 4 and 5: Artifacts on Display in the Tobago Museum

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Blanchisseuse, north Trinidad

Figure 7: U.W.I. Archaeology Students engaged in