ABSTRACT
Archaeological projects on historical sites are undertaken in two ways. Historically, the first approach is usually taken, often in the face of development. The Trouvadore project is a classic example of this second approach. It started with the Turks and Caicos National Museum's interest in a shipwreck and soon grew into trying to uncover the full potential of the Trouvadore story. Bambarra is the only settlement in the Turks and Caicos Islands with an African name, suggesting strong links with first-generation Africans, and making a good case for a link to the liberated Africans from the Trouvadore. In 1842, salt production began in earnest on South Caicos. This development occurred at the right time to provide employment to the liberated Africans from the Trouvadore. In 1843, the Bahamas government recorded the Turks and Caicos population as 2,495. If all 168 liberated Africans from the Trouvadore had survived until 1843, they would have made up 6.7" of the population.
