Illegally enslaved and then marooned on
remote Tromelin Island for fi fteen years, with
only archaeology to tell their story
by S S. P
Tromelin Island, 300 miles east of Madgascar in
the Indian Ocean, is home to a meteorological
station, an airstrip, and little else. In 1761, a
French merchant ship with a hold full of Malagasy
slaves wrecked there.
CASTAWAYS
ARCHAEOLOGY September/October 201448
had captained an underwater research vessel in the late 1970s, and upon his retirement in the early 1980s founded the Naval Archaeology Research Group NQRZQE\LWV)UHQFKDFURQ\P*5$1ZKLFKKDVVLQFHVWXGLHGGR]HQVRISRVWPHGLHYDO VKLSZUHFNV +H KHDUG WKHTromelin story from a colleague and, ZLWK VXSSRUW IURP 81(6&2 EHJDQtwo years of archival research in 2004The history was so interesting that ZH GHFLGHG WR PDNH DQ DUFKDHRORJLFDOVXUYH\ KH VD\V*XpURXWEXLOW D WHDPwhich included experts from GRAN, WKH)UHQFK1DWLRQDO,QVWLWXWHRI3UHYHQWLYH$UFKDHRORJLFDO5HVHDUFK,15$3DQG WKH DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ RI WKH )UHQFKSouthern and Antarctic Lands, to travel WRWKH LVRODWHG LVOHW IRXUWLPHV2006, 2008, 2010, and 2013IRU VL[ ZHHNVDWDVWUHWFKWRH[DPLQHWKHZUHFNVLWH
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www.archaeology.org 49
WZR IDLOHG UHVFXH DWWHPSWV KLPVHOIhad left the islet on a raft with a sail of ZRYHQIHDWKHUV7KH\ZHUHQHYHUKHDUGIURPDJDLQ7KHWHVWLPRQ\RIWKHVHYHQremaining women and the records of La
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Powerful waves around Tromelin Island washed away all but the heaviest material, such as this anchor, from the wreck of LUtile.
The same waves complicated several attempts to rescue survivors on the island years later.
ARCHAEOLOGY September/October 201450
WHDPKDGEHHQKRSLQJIRUWKUHHLQWDFWEXLOGLQJV:HIRXQGZKDWZDVSUREDEO\WKHNLWFKHQZLWKDOOWKLQJVZHOONHSWLQHDFKSDUWRIWKHEXLOGLQJ*XpURXWVD\V,QWKLVRYDOVKDSHGEXLOGLQJZLWKYHIRRWWKLFNZDOOV WKHUHZDV D VWDFNRI VL[more copper vessels, topped with a conch shell, and a deposit of 15FOHYHUO\PDGHVSRRQV7KHVHZHUHFXWIURPFRSSHUZLWKVPDOOZLQJVDWWKHEDVHWKDWFRXOGEHIROGHGRYHUDWZLJWRPDNHDKDQGOH,QWRWDO45GRPHVWLFREMHFWVZHUHIRXQGWKHUHDQGLQDQRWKHUEXLOGLQJZHUHWRROVLURQWULSRGVWRKROGFRRNLQJYHVVHOVDQGELJOHDGERZOVSUREDEO\PDGHIURPOHDGVKHHWVNHSWRQLUtileWRSDWFKKROHVDWVHD7KHODUJHOHDGERZOVZHUHOLNHO\XVHGWRKROGZDWHUPHDQLQJWKDW OHDGSRLVRQLQJPD\KDYH EHHQ D SUREOHP IRU WKH VXUYLYRUV7KH DUFKDHRORJLVWVDOVRIRXQGSLHFHVRILQWDQGWKHPHWDODJDLQVWZKLFKWKH\ZHUHVWUXFNZKLFKDGGUHVVHVKRZWKHFDVWDZD\VVWDUWHGDQGPDLQWDLQHGUHV7KRVHREMHFWVPDNHWKHRQO\KLVWRU\ZHFDQKDYHVD\-HDQ)UDQoRLV5HEH\URWWHD5pXQLRQ,VODQGEDVHGDUFKDHRORJLVWZKRKHOSHGWKHWHDPRUJDQL]HLWVHOGVHDVRQV
A detailed analysis of some 18,000ELUGERQHVFROOHFWHGfrom the site during the 2013VHDVRQKDVUHYHDOHGPXFKDERXWWKHFDVWDZD\VGLHW0RVWRIWKHERQHVFRPHIURPVRRW\WHUQV7KHVHVHDELUGVRQFHQHVWHGRQWKHLVODQGLQJUHDWQXPEHUVEXWQRWDQ\PRUHKXQWLQJE\WKHVXUYLYRUVPD\KDYHFRQWULEXWHGWRWKHFRORQ\VFROODSVH7KHFDVWDZD\VDOVRDWHELUGHJJVDQGVRPHVKWKRXJKVKLQJIURPWKHLVODQGLVGLFXOWDVZHOODVWXUWOHPHDWHYHQWKRXJKNLOOLQJDQGHDWLQJWXUWOHVLVWDERRWRVRPH0DODJDV\FRPPXQLWLHVDFFRUGLQJWR%DNR5DVRDULIHWUDD0DODJDV\KLVWRULDQIURPWKH8QLYHUVLW\RI$QWDQDQDULYRZKRMRLQHGWKH2010 and 2013H[SHGLWLRQV
$IHZVPDOOSLHFHVRIFRSSHUMHZHOU\DULQJDFRXSOHRIEUDFHOHWVDQGDQHLJKWHHQWKFHQWXU\3RUWXJXHVHFRLQWKDWPD\KDYHEHHQZRUQDVDSHQGDQWZHUHDOVRIRXQGDORQJZLWKDSRLQWHGpPrORLURUWLSFRPEIRUXQWDQJOLQJKDLU6ODYHVXVXDOO\KDGWKHLUKDLUFXWVKRUWEXWWKHFDVWDZD\VZRXOGKDYHEHHQDEOHWRJURZWKHLUKDLURXWDJDLQ7UDGLWLRQDOO\5DVRDULIHWUDDGGVDPDQZRXOGPDNHDSRLQWHGpPrORLUIRUWKHZRPDQKHORYHG7KHVHVPDOOSHUVRQDOQGVVXJJHVWWKDWDWVRPHSRLQWin their stay, the castaways came to the realization that there ZRXOGEHQRUHVFXHDQGWKH\ZRXOGKDYHWREXLOGOLYHVDFRPPXQLW\RQWKHLVODQG7KH\KDYHSDVVHGWKHWLPHRIVWULFWO\VXUYLYLQJDQGWKH\EHJLQWROLYHDQRUPDOOLIH*XpURXWVD\V
2QHVLJQLFDQWP\VWHU\UHPDLQVWKHORFDWLRQVRIWKHJUDYHVRIWKRVHZKRGLHGRQWKHLVODQG,Q2008, two sets of human UHPDLQV ZKLFK KDG FOHDUO\ EHHQ GXJ XS DQG UHGHSRVLWHGSUREDEO\LQWKH1950VZHUHIRXQG%XWQRPRUHKDYHEHHQORFDWHGGHVSLWHWKHWHDPVVHDUFKLQJ7KHJUDYHVPD\KDYHEHHQGLVWXUEHGRUEXLOWRYHUGXULQJFRQVWUXFWLRQRIWKHZHDWKHUVWDWLRQ$QRWKHUSRVVLEOHH[SODQDWLRQOLHVLQWKHOHJHQGRI2OLYLHU/HYDVVHXUDSLUDWHNQRZQDV/D%XVH7KH%X]]DUGZKRLVVDLGWRKDYHOHIWEHKLQGDFRGHGQRWHOHDGLQJWRWUHDVXUHZKHQhe was hanged in 17303HUKDSVFHQWXULHVODWHUHQWHUSULVLQJZRUNHUVEXLOGLQJWKHZHDWKHUVWDWLRQDVVXPHGWKDWWKHFRUDOEXLOGLQJVZHUHDSLUDWHKLGHRXWGXJWKURXJKWKHPIRUWUHDVXUHDQGFDVWDVLGHDUWLIDFWVRUHYHQKXPDQUHPDLQV7KHDGGLWLRQDOKDOIGR]HQEXLOGLQJVXQFRYHUHGE\DUFKDHRORJLVWVLQ2010 and 2013 appear to support this theory, as they did not contain any
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The next excavation season, 2008EURXJKWWKHERQDQ]DWKH
The first intact building archaeologists found on the island is
thought to have been a kitchen (below). Inside, there was a
deposit of cleverly made spoons (bottom left), a stack of copper
bowls and plates (bottom right), and other domestic remains.
www.archaeology.org 51
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Samir S. Patel is deputy editor at Archaeology.
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The construction and arrangement of the castDZD\VVWUXFWXUHVVD\DJUHDWGHDODERXWOLIHRQWKHLVODQGDQGLQVRPHZD\VHYHQUHHFWWKHSV\FKRORJLFDOH[SHULHQFHRILWDFFRUGLQJWR*XpURXW$WWKHWLPHSHRSOHDFURVV0DGDJDVFDUJHQHUDOO\OLYHGin small huts of wood, mud, and thatch, with each family group on its own plot some distance from QHLJKERUV 6XFKPDWHULDOV ZHUH QRW DYDLODEOH RQ7URPHOLQVRWKHSHRSOHWKHUHKDGWRPDNHGRZLWKZKDWZDVRQKDQG7KHEXLOGLQJVDUHFRPSRVHGRIWZROD\HUVDWSODWHVRIEHDFKVDQGVWRQHSODQWHGLQWKHJURXQGYHUWLFDOO\WRSSHGE\FRUDOEORFNV7KLVFRQVWUXFWLRQ VW\OH LV XQOLNH DQ\0DODJDV\ KRPHEXWLWGRHVKDYHDGLUHFWFRUUHODWHRQ0DGDJDVFDUEXULDOFLVWV$FFRUGLQJWR5DVRDULIHWUDWUDGLWLRQDOO\DOOVWRQHEXLOGLQJVZRXOGKDYHEHHQUHVHUYHGIRUWKHGHDG3V\FKRORJLFDOO\LWLVYHU\LQWHUHVWLQJWRXQGHUVWDQGVD\V*XpURXW7KHSHRSOHFKRVHWR OLYH LQZKDWZHUH LQ WKHLUPLQGV WRPEV7R5DVRDULIHWUDLWUHSUHVHQWVDQRWKHUFXOWXUDOVKRFN$IWHU VXUYLYLQJHQVODYHPHQW WKHZUHFNDQG WKHDEDQGRQPHQW WKH\ HYHQ KDG WR RYHUFRPH WKHLURZQFXOWXUDOSURKLELWLRQV
,Q DGGLWLRQ WKH EXLOGLQJV UDWKHU WKDQ EHLQJVHSDUDWHVKDUHGZDOOVDQGZHUHFOXVWHUHGLQDERXWKDOIDQDFUHXQOLNHPRUHGLXVHYLOODJHVEDFNKRPHThe archaeologists found that the castaways had, DWVRPHSRLQWGLVPDQWOHGEXLOGLQJVWRHUHFWDZDOOapproximately 20IHHWORQJSUREDEO\DIWHUDF\FORQHGDPDJHGWKHKDPOHW,QWKHVHZD\VWKHVWUXFWXUHVUHSUHVHQWV\VWHPDWLFDGDSWDWLRQWRWKHODFNRIVSDFHand the need for protection from cyclones, and they UHHFWDSV\FKRORJLFDOVWDWHJUDYHERXQGEXWWRJHWKHUOHDQLQJXSRQRQHDQRWKHU
UPON THEIR RESCUE IN 1776, the seven adult survivors DQGWKHFKLOGZHUHWDNHQWR0DXULWLXV:KDWLVLQWHUHVWLQJLQWKLVKLVWRU\LVWKDWEHWZHHQWKHPRPHQWRI
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In Madagascar in the 18th century, homes would have been built of
organic materials, while stone was reserved for the dead. By necessity,
the castaways had to overcome this taboo and live in what would
have seemed to them like tombs.