В Банвари Трейс отметили Всемирный день наследия: древние ископаемые и культура коренных народов Тринидада и Тобаго

RADHICA DE SILVA Senior Multimedia Reporter [email protected] The historic archaeological site at Banwari Trace, Penal, became the centre of celebrations of two distant chapters of Trinidad and Tobago’s history earlier this month. Scores of people celebrated the story of its first peoples, as well as the older prehistoric world when enormous Ice Age animals roamed the landscape. The event took place on World Heritage Day and was organised by the National Trust, the University of the West Indies, the Santa Rosa First Peoples Association, Warao Nation and the National Geographic team. Chief Ricardo Hernandez and Caciqua Anicia invited members of the public to witness a sacred smoke ceremony conducted jointly by the two Indigenous groups. Children who attended the event got the chance to examine mock excavation pits. Families moved between displays of Indigenous tools and weapons, while university students and scientists explained fossils and the geological changes that once connected Trinidad to the South American mainland. At the centre of the scientific outreach was the Glyptodon, a massive, heavily armoured relative of the modern armadillo that lived in T&T during the Late Pleistocene Epoch. Speaking to Guardian Media, Dr Shad Gobinsingh, one of the experts involved in the programme, explained the significance of the prehistoric animal and the evidence pointing to an ancient land connection. He said it is possible that lower sea levels during the Ice Age made a land bridge that allowed freedom of mobility between Trinidad and the island of Tobago and, beyond that, the South American mainland. The evidence, Dr Gobinsingh said, provides an important window into the movement of prehistoric animals and people throughout the region, but further studies are necessary. Hence, the team for the event utilised expertise from various scientific fields. The Glyptodon, with its armour-plated body, was among the animals that occupied this ancient landscape. He said its remains found in Trinidad and Tobago have given researchers an opportunity to examine a period when the geography of the southern Caribbean was markedly different from what it is today. Dr Gobinsingh said research presented during the Ice Age Fossil Outreach and Education programme suggests its extinction was likely due to environmental changes associated with the end of the Ice Age, as well as the possibility of easy predation. For the children and families gathered at Banwari Trace, however, the science was not confined to lectures. Dr Gobinsingh said that instead of seeing research and Indigenous culture as something confined to textbooks or museums, they were able to handle replicas, ask questions and speak directly with people involved in researching Trinidad and Tobago’s past. The visitors moved through interactive stations, answering questions and collecting stamps as they learnt about geology, palaeontology, biology and archaeology directly from researchers. Children who completed the educational circuit received a souvenir token crafted by Dr Andrew Swafford, featuring an exact replica of Glyptodon remains recovered in Trinidad and Tobago. Visitors sampled Indigenous cuisine and examined handmade bracelets, traditional tools, weapons and other cultural pieces displayed at various stations. These Indigenous displays came from Cuba, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Canada and Australia. Also attending the event were Dr Ryan Mohammed, Dr Alexis Mychajliw, Dr Andrew Swafford, Jakob Hurst, Gabrielle Santos, Zara Ali, Ashleigh Morris, Renata Ramoutar and Dr Gobinsingh. The Palaeontology programme was supported by a National Geographic team co-led by Dr Mohammed and Dr Mychajliw. The Mayor of Port-of-Spain, Chinua Alleyne, the chief executive officer of the National Trust, Graeme Suite, Professor Sat Balkaransingh and Professor Mark Hauser of Northwestern University, along with representatives of several foreign embassies, were present. Banwari Trace is recognised as one of the Caribbean’s oldest known pre-Columbian archaeological sites and has long been regarded as an important source of evidence about the region’s earliest inhabitants. The National Trust hopes to transform this space into an educational centre where students, researchers and the public can be more well-informed about the cultural heritage of the previous inhabitants of T&T.