Sept. 19, 2003 – Archaeologists from the V.I. National Park are digging again at Trunk Bay. According to park archaeologist Ken Wild, concerns about the impact of a concrete walkway under construction near the beach have prompted the current excavation efforts.
(For details about the construction project, see "Trunk Bay sidewalk expansion work under way".)
Wild said the site dates from 900 A.D. and he is concerned that the concrete being poured will trap moisture in the ceramic artifacts buried there. "The concrete may cause an adverse affect," he said, so it's important to explore the site before it's covered over.
Unfortunately, from the archaeology perspective, Trunk Bay is the most visited spot in the park. "It's right in the middle of a prehistoric village," Wild said.
He said that the excavating of Trunk Bay has happened in phases dependent on when and where the park was installing infrastructure improvements. He started excavating in the late 1980s and has undertaken numerous digs since then as the park has proceeded with improvements including restroom and shower facilities.
While the park's mission is in part to preserve archaeological sites, Wild said, it also has a mandate to make infrastructure improvements in order to meet visitor needs.
All the of the V.I. National Park archaeology sites are important, but the one at Trunk Bay is especially so, Wild said. That's because it holds keys to understanding the Taino Indian culture before it developed into the complex society revealed when archeologists excavated at Cinnamon Bay. The Trunk Bay site reflects "a much more simple society," he said.
By the time the Taino people got to Cinnamon Bay, he said, their society had developed to include chiefs, commoners, workers and slaves.
Wild and his team found a ceramic face at Trunk Bay similar to ones discovered in Aruba, Surinam and Puerto Rico. However, he said, the Trunk Bay face is the only one found in an archaeological dig — which thus allowed scientists to date it. "The others were in someone's collection," he said.
As he did during the excavation work at Cinnamon Bay, Wild needs volunteers to help with the current Trunk Bay project. He suggested that those interested in helping come by any weekday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to see if help is needed that day. Prospective volunteers also can call the Cinnamon Bay archaeology laboratory at 776-5090 for more information.
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