National Park Service Archeologist Ken Wild has recently submitted a paper to be published in the Proceedings of the International Congress for Caribbean Archaeology. In his notes to Friends, Ken modestly observes that "it may not be the Holy Grail but then again this isn't Europe." But as for archeology in the Caribbean, he says that the investigations at Cinnamon may raise many questions and require a closer look at the symbolic clues.

For instance, the ceramic figures, "they are not just pretty things to stick on pots". All these clues in the material culture these people left behind will greatly enhance our understanding of the people who greeted Columbus. According to Ken, the paper only scratches the surface of research potential now that the site function has been identified. In the Nov.- Dec. issue of Archaeology a Canadian researcher investigating a Taino Village in Cuba states that there has been little evidence on how the Taino evolved and that "The implicit assumption has been that the Taino people didn't change." The Cinnamon Bay prehistoric site just may be that evidence.

Ken lists the following significant findings:

1. Confirms Classic Taino in the Virgin Islands. "That sets it straight for the Virgin Islands history class," he notes.

2. A caney, the chief's temple is recognizable in the archaeological record and that is what is in jeopardy at Cinnamon. The site is not only regionally but internationally significant in the understanding of religion and chronology. " Is it the only one to be excavated? Very possibly," says Ken.

3. Symbolic iconography in this context allows for defining social development and identifies punctuated evolution.

4. Artifact and ecofact deposits in this context define temporal shifts in religious practices.

5. Places material culture in the region into developmental epochs.

In the last issue of Archaeological Magazine, David Lowenthal noted that archaeology "is unique in that it focuses on the remotest epochs of human existence, imbued with an allure of exotic, uncanny secrets hidden in the mists of time".

"Maybe this time," Ken says with a wry smile.