by Curlan Campbell
- Pearls listed as protected site under National Heritage Protection Act of 1990
- Pearls site is an accumulation of 1,400 years of people living in that area
- 16 out of 89 known Amerindian sites in Grenada have been destroyed
- Grenada Christian Academy construction could further erase Grenada’s history
Archaeologist Jonathan Hanna PhD has recommended that Government pause its construction plans for Grenada Christian Academy near Pearls Airstrip in St Andrew to enable the completion of a comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) due to the area’s historical significance as a pre-Columbian Amerindian settlement.
It is already documented that 16 out of the 89 known prehistoric (Amerindian) sites in Grenada have been completely destroyed and the archaeologist is concerned that the Pearls site will suffer the same fate if nothing is done. Dr Hanna stated that the potential negative impact this construction will have on the area’s Amerindian artefacts could potentially mean further erasure of Grenada’s history.
The construction of Grenada Christian Academy forms part of phase 2 of the Grenada Education Enhancement Project and the Ministry of Education already staged the sod-turning ceremony to mark the start of the project funded by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The contract worth $27.4 million was signed between the Ministry of Education and Kee-Chanona and Sonrise Construction JV Inc. on 22 November 2023. The architectural firm responsible for this project is Beston Consulting.
The Ministry of Education’s press release states that the Grenada Christian Academy currently has slightly less than 150 students and with the upcoming facility, there is space for 300 individuals, with potential to expand that number to 500.
“The result may be that the location is moved or a full archaeological excavation is conducted to document everything before construction. This is already the law — in the Museum Act of 2017, the Physical Planning Act of 2016, and other related legislation. If we can’t protect a site, we should at least document what exactly is being destroyed,” Dr Hanna said.
The area at Pearls in St Andrew was bulldozed to build Grenada’s first airport in the 1940s. This site has been known to have many unexplored archaeological artefacts of pre-Columbian polychrome pottery fragments.
Dr Hanna said the importance of preserving such an important site cannot be overemphasised. “The site is well known in archaeological circles, and museums around the world often have artefacts from this site in particular (if they have anything from Grenada, it is usually from Pearls). This is partly because of its highly decorative ceramic assemblage of complete vessels and innumerable zoomorphic adornos — little animalesque adornments that easily break off vessels,” he said.
“Adornos changed over time, and several periods can be seen in the Pearls assemblage. Many are from an early period in Grenada’s history, for which there are only a few sites. (Ironically, one of the others — at Beausejour — was also destroyed by the construction of a preschool in 2020,” he continued.
Dr Hanna said surveys dating as far back as the 1960s, indicate that the period of occupation by the early settlers spans about AD 200-1650. He said such a long occupation is also why the site is so large because it’s an accumulation of 1,400 years of people living in the area.
There are plans to develop the area, which will involve improving the civil infrastructure, such as roads, drainage, and utilities, as well as developing skills in construction and community engagement. The project aims to construct 4 three-story buildings that will house around 11 classrooms, along with a basketball court.
Dr Hanna recounts events that took place between 1987 to 1989 when the Cocoa Rehabilitation Project removed truckloads of soil from the centre of the site for agricultural use. The National Trust fought hard to stop the destruction, which ultimately led to the National Heritage Protection Act of 1990 and the official listing of Pearls as a protected site.
“This, of course, did not stop looting, and tourists still go by the area today and buy bags of adornos from the site.The problem is that each artefact contains priceless information that is destroyed when removed from its exact context. These are limited resources, and once they are gone, they are gone forever. One thing that is so amazing about Pearls is that, despite all the destruction — the airport, agriculture, houses, looting, etc, — there are still artefacts all over the place. But it won’t be like that forever, which is why it must be protected for future generations to study,” he explained.
Over the last few years, natural and manmade threats confronted the preservation of archaeological sites like the one situated at Pearls. Most recently was the Amerindian site at Sauteurs, St Patrick. Since 2018 attempts by Dr. Hanna, Corinne Hofman of Leiden University, Paula Saunders of Manhattan Community College, Michael Jessamy, and others have fought to preserve the site after heavy sea surge caused by the Breakwater Project exposed and eroded an Amerindian burial ground that has remained undisturbed for over 1,000 years. Their involvement became necessary after residents reported skeletal remains and artefacts washed up on the beach.
In February 2020, Dr Hanna indicated pre-Columbian polychrome pottery fragments, some dating around 300-600 CE, illegally removed from Grenada during the 1960s and 70s, being sold on eBay. This led to action by a kind-hearted individual named Russell Royer, an architect based in the UK, who bought the zoomorphic Amerindian ceramics from the seller and then returned the items to Grenada. Royer, an architect, is renowned for his innovative approach to preserving historical artefacts in museums. He has revolutionised the way architectural visualisations are used, replacing physical artefacts with interactive 3D models. This allows the original artefacts to be returned to their rightful place if they were stolen.
Since 2017 the Government of Grenada has enacted the Grenada National Museum Act, of which Part IV provides for the ownership and rights of the state in respect of every artefact in the State of Grenada. It states that government has the rights over all artefacts in Grenada and any attempt to resist such rights or attempt at removing such artefacts are in violation of the law and subject to a $10,000 fine.
Grenada is also a signatory to several conventions including the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transport of Ownership of Cultural Property, the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects and the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of Education proved futile.
Thank you, Dr. Hanna, for being the voice of many Grenadians who cannot speak up or afraid to do so.
While at the same time raising awareness on this and other critical environmental issues affecting, or should I say afflicting this island.
Once again thank you and all those who take a stand stance for environmental justice,
I think work on this project should be stopped to enable the necessary ESIA to be done. Pearl’s is only a short distance from Grenville which has 3 secondary schools while Mt Rose and MDC are a few miles away. Is it really necessary to destroy that area to cater for 150 students?
Let’s think about how much of our history and heritage that has already been lost.
Bravo – Jonathan, we need to preserve Grenada’s history for future generations. Hopefully the Ministry will take heed.