Canashito
{{Short description|Prehistoric site in Santa Cruz, Aruba}}
{{Infobox historic site
| coordinates = {{coord|12|30|18.8|N|69|59|35.6|W}}
| image = 270px
| native_name =
| native_name2 =
| location = Santa Cruz, Aruba
| height =
| elevation = {{convert|63.2|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| image_map = {{Infobox mapframe |coord={{Coord|12.505222|-69.993222}}|zoom=13}}
}}
Canashito, also known as Canachito,{{Cite web |last=DBNL |title=Geschiedenis der Protest. Kerk op Aruba., Neerlandia. Jaargang 15 |url=https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_nee003191101_01/_nee003191101_01_0704.php |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=DBNL |language=nl}} Cornachiti{{Cite book |last=Johan Hartog |url=http://archive.org/details/arubapastpresent0000joha |title=Aruba, Past and Present. from the Time of the Indians Until Today / Translated ... by J. A. Verleun |date=1961-01-01 |publisher=D. J. De Wit - Oranjestad, Aruba |others=Internet Archive |pages=21}} or Carachito,{{Cite journal |last=Van Koolwijk |first=A. J. |year=1882 |title=De Indianen Caraïben van het Eiland Aruba (West-Indië) |trans-title=The Caribbean Indians of the island of Aruba |url=http://archive.org/details/BNADIGKOSTBARE0151 |journal=Het Aardrijkskundig Genootschap |series=deel VI |language=nl |pages=226}} is located inland on a limestone outcrop,{{Sfn|Kelly|Hofman|2019|p=151}} near Hooiberg, in Santa Cruz, Aruba,{{Sfn|Mickleburgh|Laffoon|2018|p=289}}{{Cite web |date=2020-12-03 |title=GAC (Geographical Address Classification) 2019 and 2020 – Central Bureau of Statistics |url=https://cbs.aw/wp/index.php/2020/12/03/gac-geographical-address-classification-2019/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |at=Regio: Santa Cruz |language=en-US}} measuring {{Convert|63.2|m|ft}} in elevation above sea level.{{Citation |last=Werbata |first=Johannes Vallentin Dominicus |title=Topographische Kaart van Aruba (1912) - Blad V |date=1912 |url=http://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-WERBATA-005 |access-date=2023-11-28 |others=J. J. Beaujon, R. J. Beaujon, L. Lens |last2=Jonckheer |first2=Willem A.}} This toponym Canashito is thought to have possible Amerindian origin.{{Cite book |last=Buurt |first=G. van |title=Stemmen uit het verleden : Indiaanse woorden in het Papiamentu |last2=Joubert |first2=Sidney M. |publisher=Van Buurt BoekProducties |year=1997 |isbn=9789990401455 |pages=146 |language=nl |trans-title=Voices from the past: Indian words in Papiamentu |oclc=743250828}}{{Cite book |last=Versteeg |first=A.H. |title=Reconstructing Brasilwood Island : the archaeology and landscape of Indian Aruba |last2=Ruiz |first2=Arminda C. |year=1995 |series=Publication of the Archaeological Museum Aruba |pages=100–101 |oclc=36691290}} This limestone outcrop is of significance as a notable Archaic period site.{{Cite journal |last=Mickleburgh |first=Hayley L. |last2=Pagán-Jiménez |first2=Jaime R. |date=2012-07-01 |title=New insights into the consumption of maize and other food plants in the pre-Columbian Caribbean from starch grains trapped in human dental calculus |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305440312000842 |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |volume=39 |issue=7 |pages=2468–2478 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2012.02.020 |issn=0305-4403|hdl=1887/18542 |hdl-access=free }}
History
= State plantation =
Around 1800, Canashito emerged as a small plantation following the migration of colonists from Curaçao, which began in 1754.{{Cite news |date=1966-12-27 |title=DE BEGRAAFPLAATSEN UIT DE PONTON-TIJD |work=Amigoe di Curacao : weekblad voor de Curacaosche eilanden |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010463101:mpeg21:a0094 |access-date=2023-11-28}} In 1836, the new administrator, {{Interlanguage link|R.F. van Raders|lt=R.F. van Raders|nl|Reinier Frederik van Raders}} believed that cultivating crops would have a positive influence on maritime traffic and trade. Van Raders initiated model plantations in the Leeward islands, hoping that others would follow suit, and Aruba was included in these experiments. Cochineal and aloe were cultivated at this small plantation, including the Socotoro plantation in Oranjestad at that time, but faced challenges marked by successive crop failures attributed to drought.{{Sfn|Alofs|1997|p=2}} In 1848, under the administration of I.J.M. Elsevier Jr., the experiment was resumed, and these plantations were revitalized to provide employment for the impoverished colonists. This decision coincided with the realization that the conclusion of slavery had also commenced in Dutch colonies. The results, however, were once again disappointing, leading to the discontinuation in 1851.{{Sfn|Alofs|1997|p=3}}
= Parish =
In 1860, pastor Nicolaas A. Kuiperi established a Protestant church in Canashito. The villagers from Savaneta relied on Catholic pastoral care from Santa Cruz. Between 1858 and 1871, Kuiperi attempted to halt the advance of the Catholic mission in the "districts". As recorded in the baptismal records of the Protestant Community, Kuiperi baptized children whose parents who belonged to the Savanetero's.{{Sfn|Alofs|1997|p=5}} On 17 February 1879, during the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, the church at Canashito was set on fire. Ten years later, the church fell into disrepair, and the decision to not rebuild the church was based on the fact that the Protestant Community didn't own the property it was built on.{{Cite web |date=2016-11-24 |title=Archieven van de protestantse gemeente van Aruba 1822-2008 (2012) |url=https://ana.aw/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/definitief-archief-inv-Prot-gemeente-Aruba-1822-2008-24-okt-2017.pdf |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=Archivo Nacional Aruba}} Resulting, in the construction of the {{Interlanguage link|Protestant church Piedra Plat|lt=Protestant church in Piedra Plat|nl|Kerki Protestant Piedra Plat}} in 1899.{{Cite news |date=1966-08-26 |title=ARUBA NOSTRA Preceramiek in Canashito |work=Amigoe di Curacao : weekblad voor de Curacaosche eilanden |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010462999:mpeg21:a0097 |access-date=2023-11-28}} Following Kuiperi's departure, Savaneta remained deprived of Protestant care, and gradually, most Protestant families converted to Catholicism.{{Sfn|Alofs|1997|p=5}}
On the property, remnants of the church's foundations can still be found, {{Convert|30|m|ft}} away, there is a cemetery. Not much remains of the twelve cellars; it has transformed more into an untamed wilderness. The interior walls of the house at Canashito 18 are a section of the wall of the Protestant church.{{Cite news |date=1966-11-04 |title=Historische plekjes |work=Amigoe di Curacao : weekblad voor de Curacaosche eilanden |url=https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010463058:mpeg21:a0146 |access-date=2023-11-28}}
{{Multiple image
| image1 = ANA-DIG-PROT-D-INV-096-03.jpg
| caption1 = Pastor Nicolaas A. Kuiperi (1858–1871)
| caption2 = Ruin at Canashito 18
| image2 = Cunuco house at Canashito.jpg
| total_width = 400
| align = right
}}
Bioarchaeology
On the slope leading to the abri entrance, archeologists uncovered remnants of shell food, indicating past human activity in the area. Additionally, under the abri, five human burials were discovered.{{Sfn|Mickleburgh|Laffoon|2018|p=289}} In terms of human variability, one of the individuals discovered was not native to Aruba. This person had followed a distinctly different diet compared to the other individuals, all of whom were Aruban. This finding suggests that migration and cultural exchange were integral components of cultural practices among these archaic Indians from an early period.{{Cite book |last=Alofs |first=Luc |url=http://archive.org/details/BNA-DIG-9789088906022 |title=Koloniale mythen en Benedenwindse feiten : Curaçao, Aruba en Bonaire in inheems Atlantisch perspectief, ca. 1499-1636 |date=2018 |publisher=Leiden : Sidestone Press |isbn=978-90-8890-602-2}} Starch grain analyses from Archaic Age sites in Aruba, including Malmok, indicated the presence of maize, cocoyam, manioc, marunguey, and sweet potato in Aruban samples.{{Sfn|Mickleburgh|Laffoon|2018|p=301}}
Radiocarbon dating of one of the skeletons yielded a date corresponding to the period of 1960 ±65 BP, or cal. AD 83-394, providing insights into the historical timeline of human activity at the Canashito site. The findings at this archaeological site contribute to the understanding of the cultural and historical significance of the region during the Archaic Age.{{Sfn|Mickleburgh|Laffoon|2018|p=289}}
Sources
- {{cite book |last1=Alofs |first1=Luc |url=https://www.academia.edu/38868608/Savaneta_een_vlek_of_dorp |title=Savaneta, een vlek of dorp |year=1997 |trans-title=Savaneta, a hamlet or village}}
- {{Cite book |last=Kelly |first=Harold |title=Early Settlers of the Insular Caribbean: Dearchaizing the archaic |last2=Hofman |first2=Corinne L. |publisher=Sidestone Press |year=2019 |editor-last=Hofman |editor-first=Corinne L. |location=Leiden |pages=147–161 |chapter=The Archaic Age of Aruba: New evidence on the first migrations to the island |editor-last2=Antczak |editor-first2=Andrzej T. |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333561268_The_Archaic_Age_of_Aruba_New_evidence_on_the_first_migrations_to_the_island}}
- {{Cite book |last=Mickleburgh |first=Hayley L. |title=The Archeology of Caribbean and Circum-Caribbean Farmers 6000 BC-AD 1500 |last2=Laffoon |first2=Jason E. |publisher=Routledge |year=2018 |isbn=9781351169202 |editor-last=Reid |editor-first=Basil A. |location=London and New York |pages=288–306 |chapter=Assessing dietary and subsistence transitions on prehistoric Aruba: Preliminary bioarcheological evidence |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322855602_Assessing_Dietary_and_Subsistence_Transitions_on_Prehistoric_Aruba_Preliminary_bioarchaeological_evidence}}