A field walking survey was made to explore an area that was potentially the scene of an attack on a marron camp.
The origins of the survey
In March 1739, eight detachments of slave hunters led by François Caron left Les Bas and travelled to the Fond de la Rivière des Remparts to attack a marron village. Composed of "36 cazes de feuilles" – 36 leaf huts – surrounded by fencing and guarded by dogs, the village was home to more than forty individuals. Most of them were killed. The information left behind by the hunters contains vital clues as to the location of the village. Archaeologists worked with an ONF officer familiar with this part of the island, Patrick Pégoud, which led to the exploration of the Piton Colignet.
Findings
The remains found – a handful of portable finds, edible plants and stone constructions – confirm the anthropic occupation of the site. However, these remains are more akin to Petits-Blancs culture and this group is known to have occupied these remote areas from the early 19th century onwards. Archaeologists were unable to survey the site in depth due to the dense vegetation but its layout suggests it may potentially have been a marronnage site.
