Abstract

Archaeological research into the Black experience during St Vincent and the Grenadines’ colonial and postcolonial eras is still an unexplored landscape. This presentation briefly details my burgeoning work on the Wallibou sugar estate (colloquially known as “Lashum”) located in the foothills of the active volcano, La Soufrière, in the North Leeward region of St. Vincent island. Unknown to most Vincentians, the Wallibou sugar estate was a nexus of some of St. Vincent’s most notable social and environmental events articulated through Black and Indigenous political and environmental struggle. Preliminary historical and archaeological studies of Wallibou demonstrates a strong potential for revealing new understandings of Black lifestyles of resilience and resistance during and after the slavery era, whilst negotiating an existence under constant environmental/ecological threats in a region classified as the highest volcanic hazard zone, haz_4, and highest risk rating of 10. Due to the general lack of historical knowledge or public memory that highlight the dynamic experiences of enslaved and free Africans and their descendants, the ‘Wallibou/Lashum Heritage Project’ is conceived as a community of practice between archaeologists and stakeholders that includes the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Trust (SVGNT), interested local residents, and other Vincentians to critically elaborate on the ways of knowing and interpreting their own past.

This talk is organised in collaboration with the Americas Archaeology Seminar.

Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ap30TR_XT0paZImn_9u48xGmQW632DVb_5DPl6N-Bl7A1%40thread.tacv2/1728912228067?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2249a50445-bdfa-4b79-ade3-547b4f3986e9%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22fd1e4524-392d-4a9b-8ebc-8ab811390066%22%7d