ABSTRACT
From the field to the laboratory, osteological analyses of the Tutu material have involved a massive multidisciplinary effort. Results of some of the specialized studies sparked from this invaluable material are included within this volume (see Chapters 8, 9 and 10). Similar reports are expected to continue for years to come. The current chapter presents an overview of the osteological analyses of the human skeletons from the Tutu site. A discussion of theoretical and methodological approaches to paleopathology is followed by a brief review of previous osteological studies of Caribbean samples. Field and laboratory methods employed in investigating the Tutu skeletons are next described. Results of the investigation are summarized and interpreted, focusing first on the composition of the sample with respect to demographic, spatial and temporal variables. A discussion of burial practices, health and lifeways is then presented in the contexts of the Tutu site and the prehistoric Caribbean.
