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Cited by 2Historical and Cultural Archaeology StudiesArchaeological Research and ProtectionColonialism, slavery, and trade

Modeling Marronage: GIS Heuristics of Refuge Affordances in Colonial St. Croix

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Kohut, Lauren E., Wernke, Steven A., Dunnavant, Justin·2025·Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
DOI 10.1007/s10816-024-09680-7
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Abstract

On the Caribbean island of St. Croix, archival documents reference settlements of runaway enslaved Africans in the mountainous range known as Maroon Ridge. These settlements provide an important record of Afro-Atlantic resistance to enslavement. However, as both intentionally secluded and ephemeral places of refuge, these maroon settlements are difficult to locate in the archaeological record. Geospatial modeling provides one avenue for understanding African geographies of resistance. Building on prior geospatial modeling efforts, this paper uses a GIS-based multicriteria suitability analysis to characterize the shifting affordances of marronage on Danish colonial St. Croix across the second half of the eighteenth century. By considering how the island landscape “looked” to those seeking refuge, we trace how possibilities for refuge were distributed through space and over time. In this paper, we develop affordance heuristics to model refuge using digitized historic maps and publicly available LiDAR data. The resulting model suggests shifting maroon refugia sites over time and demonstrates how geospatial approaches, paired with historical archives, can model historic affordances across time.

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Research works printed but not linked: 14

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  13. La Rosa Corzo, G. (2005). Subsistence of cimarrones: An archaeological study. In S. L. Dawdy, L. A. Curet, & G. La Rosa Corzo (Eds.), Dialogues in Cuban archaeology (pp. 163–180). University of Alabama Press.
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Authors
Kohut, L. E., Wernke, S. A., & Dunnavant, J.
Affiliations
  • Winthrop University (US)
  • Vanderbilt University (US)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Corresponding author
Kohut, Lauren E.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2024-11-20
Volume
32
Issue
1
ISSN
  • 1072-5369 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-7764
DOI
10.1007/s10816-024-09680-7
OpenAlex
W4404546559
Cited by
2
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 2
FWCI
1.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Academic Pathways Postdoctoral Fellowship at Vanderbilt University
  • Winthrop University
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Space and Planetary Science › Archaeological Research and Protection
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Colonialism, slavery, and trade
Keywords
marronage, refuge, enslaved Africans, St. Croix, Danish colonialism, geospatial modeling, historical maps, LiDAR, landscape archaeology, 18th century

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