Camáhogne's chronology: The radiocarbon settlement sequence on Grenada, West Indies

Abstract

The pre-Columbian colonization of the Caribbean islands is typically described as a “stepping-stone” pattern moving from South America northward, with the southernmost island of Grenada (Eastern Caribbean) as the first “step.” This paper examines the extant radiocarbon sequence associated with fourteen pre-Columbian sites on Grenada, ranging from the Archaic to early French colonial periods (∼1500 BC - AD 1650). Where possible, sample ranges were refined with Bayesian methods, and those associated with diagnostic ceramics were modelled in trapezoidal distributions to help restructure the island's local ceramic chronology. It is argued that Ceramic Age populations did not settle Grenada until ∼AD 300 (hundreds of years after islands farther north), and few settlements predate AD 750. Additionally, these sites are shown to continue into the historic period, contradicting theories of population replacement by “Island Caribs” after AD 1250. Instead, Grenada's earliest sites remained occupied until French colonization, when two indigenous groups were reportedly present. It is hypothesized that the group labelled “Caraïbes” were in fact descendants of earlier inhabitants, while the “Galibis” had arrived more recently. That is, Grenada's “Caribs” were different than those called Island Caribs today, presenting a confounding factor to efforts linking historical Amerindians to a single pottery tradition.