Participatory Mapping of Mid-Holocene Anthropogenic Landscapes in Guyana with Kite Aerial Photography

Isaac Shearn,Michael J. Heckenberger

doi:10.34257/gjhssdvol20is4pg1

Abstract

The nature and degree of human modifications of humid tropical forests in Amazonia have been widely debated over the past two decades. Many regions provide significant evidence of late Holocene anthropogenic influence by settled populations, but the antiquity of human interventions is still poorly understood due to a lack of earlier archaeological sites across the broad region, particularly pertaining to the mid-Holocene. Here we report on Amerindian occupations spanning the period from ca. 6000-3000 BP along the middle Berbice River, Guyana, including early evidence in Amazonia of cultural practices widely considered indicative of settled villages, notably terra preta or “black earth” soils, mound construction, and ceramic technology. These more settled occupations of the mid-Holocene initiated a trajectory of landscape domestication extending into historical times, including larger-scale late Holocene social formations. Collaborative research with local indigenous communities, including archaeological excavations, landscape mapping using kite based aerial photography, and three-dimensional photogrammetry, was designed to promote the decolonization of archaeological knowledge production and encourage indigenous ownership of Amerindian history and cultural heritage in Guyana.

Highlights

Excavations at the Dubulay site and the evidence of late Holocene anthropogenic influence by settled populations, but the antiquity of human interventions is still poorly understood due to a lack of earlier archaeological sites across the broad region, pertaining to the midHolocene
One of the goals of the 2014 participatory e) Red Hill Mound Group research was to confirm that the mounds were man
The distance to commonly held belief by many local people in the travel between the areas is 20 km, over land, region. This observation is likely attributable to a feature the distance is roughly 10 km (Figure 5)

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Substantial human influence, rivaling other major world forest regions in antiquity, scale and density of Research in the Berbice region of Guyana provides evidence for mid-Holocene human occupations with unexpectedly early dates for ceramics, indigenous populations in pre-modern times (Clement, et al 2015; Heckenberger and Neves 2009; Roosevelt 2013). Amerindian in origin, preliminary archaeological including forest islands and dry creeks and drainages, and round domestic mounds, linear earthworks, and cm thick), notably darker than basal (pre-cultural) several clusters of round conical mounds produced by compact clays and intervening sterile strata in western humans and or soil engineers in terminal mid-Holocene portions of the Dubulay site. The mound was created by repeated, highly patterned construction episodes, preserved in 39 alternating “couplets” of lighter, thicker and sandier

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION

Findings

Kormos 2003 Wilderness and biodiversity