Ancient Knowledge, Future Wisdom: Archaeological Perspectives of Caribbean Coastal Food and Habitat Security During Times of Climate Crises

Abstract

The current climate crisis calls for resilience, adaptation, and cultural continuity despite change. National and international organizations have focused on mapping stressors, identifying risk, and providing suggestions for risk-management. There has been less investment in understanding what it means to survive a climate crisis. This is particularly true for small developing island states, such as the islands of the Caribbean archipelago. Archaeology provides a long-term perspective on how life looks before, during, and after crises, and how cultures maintain livelihood security. Archaeology, as a discipline, must focus on the tangible elements of livelihood security, including food and habitat. Food security centers on the societal efforts to supply subsistence needs in a culturally acceptable manner. Habitat security centers on a society’s continuity in culturally meaningful places. Climate change can threaten these essential aspects of culture and livelihood by causing ecosystem restructuration or by destabilizing landscapes. This chapter explores food and habitat security during times of environmental change in the ancient Caribbean. Specifically, it focuses on hurricanes, floods, sea level rise, and ocean warming as climate stressors that impact settlement stability and food acquisition at specific times between c. 4,000 ya and 500 ya (c. 2000 BC-1500 AD). It then explores ways in which the ancient knowledge of surviving an environmental crisis can be translated to the future wisdom needed to move towards equitable climate mitigation.