Objects past, objects present: Materials, resistance and memory from the Le Morne Old Cemetery, Mauritius

Abstract

This article centres on two distinct material assemblages, both representing resistance but in markedly different ways and at different times. It introduces a regional comparative of religious syncretism, longanis, to an archaeological audience. Longanis, a belief system that developed within slave communities, offers insightful similarities to Atlantic counterparts, as well as unique features in its own right. The article applies an archaeological viewpoint to burial and belief practice to better assess the role that materials have played in serving as proxies for African toolkits and memory.

Contextualizing Complex Social Contact: Mauritius, a Microcosm of Global Diaspora

“…The development of belief practices is potentially evident within a slave context also, although in a more subtle way. While slave communities largely adopted Catholicism, admixed African beliefs were combined with European Christian effigy and elements from South Asian ritual practice to form longanis (Seetah 2015b). The modern motifs of this practice are evident throughout the cemeteries and 'holy sites' (Colwell-Chanthaphonh & de Salle-Essoo 2014) of the island.…”

“…Since its discovery, continued research has focused on the osteological (Appleby et al 2014) and material signatures of the interred. To date, some 28 individuals have been recovered, along with a unique cohort of both surface finds and grave goods (Seetah 2015b). Through 14 C and finds analysis from securely stratified layers, a broad chronology for the site suggests it was used during the British period, effectively capturing the last quarter-century of slavery as well as the commencement of emancipation.…”

Colonialism, slavery and ‘The Great Experiment’: Carbon, nitrogen and oxygen isotope analysis of Le Morne and Bois Marchand cemeteries, Mauritius

“…Individual STR33/L (mid to old adult, female; biological sex confirmed by aDNA analysis: Fregel, unpublished results) stands out as having had the most pronounced change in diet during life; during childhood they ate a diet very low in animal protein but very high in C4 plants (presumably maize), while during adulthood the proportion of animal protein in their diet increased, and their consumption of C4 plants decreased. The aDNA results from this individual suggest that they are most probably of Mozambican ancestry (Fregel et al 2014;Seetah 2015b). It is tempting to speculate that this individual was enslaved during childhood, but came to live at Le Morne some years before death.…”

Anthropological Archaeology in 2015: Entanglements, Reflection, Reevaluation, and Archaeology beyond Disciplinary Boundaries

“…This approach shifts the focus from a more traditional debate and oversimplified dichotomy between material culture as either functional or symbolic (Meskell :2). For example, Krish Seetah's work on assemblages from Le Morne Old Cemetery in Mauritius provides a deep understanding of marginalized groups and efforts at resistance as enacted by slaves, freed blacks, and contemporary Mauritian peoples who engage in syncretic belief systems or longanis (Seetah ). Material objects, such as coins, bottles, and clay pipes from the archaeological past, are compared to the detailed context of modern elements of symbolic practice in the cemetery, such as dolls, bottle caps, cloth, fruit, and animal sacrifices.…”