On October 20, Dr. Shaun Sullivan, an archaeologist who specializes in the study of the Native American cultures of the northern Caribbean, will discuss the remains of a Lucayan Arawak astronomical observatory in the Turks and Caicos Islands.  The Arawaks inhabited a number of Caribbean Islands at the time of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to America, and a subgroup, the Taino, were the first people that Columbus encountered.  The remains of this observatory, which include stone lines and earthen ridges, lie within the plaza of a large Lucayan Arawak village.  The observatory is tuned to the rising and setting positions of the sun and stars at approximately 1500 AD and records their position at the solar equinoxes and solstices.  An Arawak-built road that leads to a nearby source of salt as well as the presence of imported goods from Hispaniola and Cuba provides evidence for a widely-distributed trade network among native peoples in the Caribbean.  Astronomical observations and myths and ceremonies used by Arawakan cultures today on the South American mainland are a distant reflection of the beliefs and rituals acted out centuries ago.  Dr. Sullivan has recently studied Taino elements in the Museum’s collection and will also discuss these objects. (Learn more about Taino pottery in this month’s Storeroom Stories!)

This Lecture is FREE and open to the public!

About the Lecturer:

Dr. Sullivan is an archaeologist who specializes in study of the Native American cultures of the northern Caribbean –with a particular focus on the Taino culture among the Island Arawaks. His field research has focused on the colonization and resource exploitation processes of the people who occupied the Turks and Caicos Island (north of Haiti) and the Bahamas — up to the time of their destruction by the Spanish in the early 1500s. These people were known as the Lucayan Arawaks. Dr. Sullivan’s research and publications have included analysis of archaeological and ethnographic evidence for social stratification among the Lucayans, as well as the use of astronomical alignments as the basis for tracking the annual celestial cycle; scheduling associated ceremonialism; and as the organizing principle of community planning.

Date/Time

10/20/2015, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Location

The Charleston Museum, Arthur M. Wilcox Auditorium
360 Meeting St.
Charleston, South Carolina 29403