Archaeological Investigations on Cat Island, Bahamas

In 1966 and 1967 Cat Island, Bahamas was surveyed by field
parties from Florida Atlantic University in an attempt to locate
archaeological sites. A total of 19 sites were found, all but one
were coastal shell middens near tidal deltas or bays. Most of the
sites were on the leeward side of the island where ecological conditions
for supporting large quantities of shellfish were best. In
March, 1968, five of the sites located in the survey were sampled
by means of small test pits.
The artifact assemblage consisted of over 6000 potsherds and
a handful of shell and stone implements. Over 99% of the ceramic
assemblage consisted of a thick, red, shell-tempered ware similar to
that found in recent excavations on San Salvador by Hoffman (1967).
The overwhelming amount of the Cat Island shell-tempered ware is
plain with a few decorated variants. A shell-tempered series was
set up and called the Palmetto series with one type, Palmetto plain,
and several decorated variants. Decorative modes consisted of
applique, punctation, incision, and mat and grid impressions.
The ceramic assemblage also included several residual categories
which contained tempering materials not native to the Bahamas.
The most prominent of these was a quartz-tempered ware that showed
considerable similarity to the Carrier style of northern Haiti. The
decorative modes of the Palmetto series showed affiliations with
northern Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands during periods IIIb and IV of Rouse's (1964) time scale for the northern Caribbean.
The time of occupation was roughly 1000-1500 A.D. The culture
of the island was one of fairly permanent, small villages with
subsistence based on the exploitation of the marine shellfish
resources and manioc agriculture. Burial and other ceremonial practices
are not known.