Caverne Lépinay

The discovery of human remains in a cave overlooking the Rivière des Remparts in the 1960s suggest it was occupied by marrons and people hunting wild kids.

Discovery of the cave

During the construction of the volcano forest road in the 1960s, Mr. Lépinay, a site technician, discovered a human skeleton inside a cave above the Rivière des Remparts. In the early 1980s, the gendarmerie commander, Mr. Mollaret, visited the site and removed the skeleton. The remains are still missing.

Findings from the test pit

Tests pits made inside the cave in 2015 and surveys around the site revealed the remains of a former hearth and evidence of hunting, including flint and calcinated animal remains with cut marks. The discovery of a young kid skeleton along with dried dung attest to the natural presence of the animal in this area, although it has now died out. Some human remains were also found in a secondary context

Possible marron occupation

Located on the side of a bank, at an altitude of more than 2,200 metres, this cave was constantly at the mercy of the harsh climate and would have been an extreme habitat. The makeshift nature of the site and the small number of finds suggest it was occupied for a short time only by mobile individuals hunting wild kids. Although there is no way of knowing if the site was definitely occupied by marrons, it gives us an idea of what their shelters may have been like.