Objects past, objects present: Materials, resistance and memory from the Le Morne Old Cemetery, Mauritius

Abstract

This article centres on two distinct material assemblages, both representing resistance but in markedly different ways and at different times. It introduces a regional comparative of religious syncretism, longanis, to an archaeological audience. Longanis, a belief system that developed within slave communities, offers insightful similarities to Atlantic counterparts, as well as unique features in its own right. The article applies an archaeological viewpoint to burial and belief practice to better assess the role that materials have played in serving as proxies for African toolkits and memory.