Morne Patate Locus 3: Provision Grounds

Overview

Locus 3 is thought to be the provision grounds. The provision ground was located in a highland area approximately 100m from the village,and is where enslaved people grew their most of their food. Contemporary records indicate that enslaved people living in Dominica were expected to, by and large, provision themselves, and grew a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and cereals. The provision ground at Morne Patate was excavated using shovel test pits, and primarily assessed through microbotanical data. Analyses reveal that there was a change in diets at Morne Patate following the introduction of sugar, particularly the increase in amount and types of cereals.

Documentary Evidence

Although there is limited documentary evidence of provision grounds at Morne Patate, there are sources from elsewhere that describe this type of land use. According to one 18th century, and land for provision grounds was an asset because it allowed enslaved workers to grow their own food, decreasing the expenses of planters (Murphy and Hauser 2020:42). As Dominican plantations transitioned to growing sugar, planters expected enslaved people to grow their own food, and during this time period localized food production expanded, and worker’s attempted growing different crops in new locations (Hauser 2020b:24). According to another 18th century observer, enslaved laborers primarily provided for themselves and were allowed one day to work in gardens, fish, and market their produce (Wallman and Oas 2020:155). Following emancipation, formerly enslaved individuals continued to subsistence garden. Contemporary visitors noted that some of these crops included plantain, manioc, banana, yam, sweet potato, and a variety of other products. They also bred hogs, cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses (Wallman and Oas:155).

Excavation history, procedures, and methods

Locus 3 at Morne Patate was studied through .4 x .4 meter shovel test pits (STPs). STPs were excavated utilizing natural stratigraphy, with each level assigned its own Field Specimen Number (FS). Each STP was excavated until reaching subsoil, obstruction by rocks, or until the integrity of excavation was compromised by depth at approximately 1 m. The provision ground was identified by STPs approximately 100 m from the eastern edge of the village, which indicated a large area (approximately 100 x 50 m) of prepared soil that was demarcated by large boulders as field boundaries. It did not yield a significant amount of ceramic samples, but those recovered included undiagnostic glass bottle pieces, fragments of Creamware, and Whiteware. These materials indicate that the soil was prepared in the era immediately following annexation, and suggested to archaeologists that it was the provision ground (Hauser 2020a).

Research Summary

The provision ground at Morne Patate provides insight into what enslaved individuals were growing and consuming outside of the coffee and sugar grown on the plantation. STPs from 2015 and 2016 did not turn up significant material culture, but did reveal that the provision ground was situated 100m from the village (Locus 2), and occupied a large amount of space (approximately 100 x 50m). Microbotanical data indicated that there were clear dietary differences before and after the introduction of sugar. Prior to introducing sugar, most of the botanical remains consisted of fruits and vegetables. After the introduction of sugar, the remains are more diverse and indicate a sharp increase in cereals including sorghum and maize, which were known to grow well in the region. The botanical evidence gives greater insight into the diets of enslaved individuals living at Morne Patate, particularly because enslaved people were largely expected to provision themselves.

Paleoethnobotanical remains help reveal what Morne Patate residents were consuming from the provision ground. Pre-sugar revolution, archaeological remains mostly consist of fruits and vegetables with some cereal grains. Indigenous fruits identified include guava, hackberry, and wild lime. Following the introduction of sugar (post-1770) there was a steep increase in the amount of domesticated cereals and other plant materials. Cereals included maize, sorghum, millet, and barley (Wallman and Oas 2020:164). Sorghum and maize were both common inclusions in provision grounds, and both had the potential for high yield in the region. Okra was another crop that was commonly grown in provision grounds and identified at Morne Patate.

Although there were not significant ceramic samples collected from the provision ground, archaeologists uncovered artifacts elsewhere at Morne Patate that indicate how enslaved people and free people living in the village would have prepared the food that they cooked. This includes local coarse earthenware, likely made in St. Lucia or Martinique, earthen pottery produced in southeastern France, and cast iron cookery. Additionally, they would have used griddles, which could have been used to make cassava bread, a food also consumed by indigenous peoples (Hauser 2020a).