William N. Duncan

Historiography and forensic analysis of the Fort King George “skull”: Craniometric assessment using the specific population approach

In this article, we evaluate the association between the Fort King George skull and two Franciscans who were killed during a Guale revolt in 1597 and whose remains were never recovered (Pedro de Corpa and Francisco de Veráscola). The history and historiography of the revolt is summarized to generate a forensic profile for the individuals. The calvaria is described in terms of preservation, taphonomy, possible trauma, age, and sex. Because these factors are consistent with the individuals in question, population affinity is assessed using comparative craniometric analysis. In response to recent criticism of the typological nature of forensic population affinity assessment, we use a population specific approach, as advocated by Alice Brues (1992). Archaeological and historical data inform the occupation history of the site, and data from those specific populations are used in the comparative analysis. Results of linear discriminant function analysis indicate a low probability that the calvaria is a Guale (the precontact inhabitants of southeastern Georgia) or an individual of African descent. Comparison among European and Euro-American populations indicated poor discriminatory resolution; however, the closest match suggests a New World affinity rather than an Old World English, Scottish, or Iberian affinity for the specimen. Future analyses that will provide greater resolution about the identity of the calvaria are outlined. The case highlights the unique challenges of historical forensics cases relative to those of traditional jurisprudence, as well as the potential for using historiography to overcome those challenges in future analyses.

The Search for Don Francisco de Paula Marin: Servant, Friend, and Advisor to King Kamehameha I, Kingdom of Hawai'i

Don Francisco de Paula Marin was born in Spain in 1774. After briefly serving in the Spanish Navy, Marin took up residence in Hawaii at the age of 19 or 20. He had several Hawaiian wives and many children. In addition to being a keen horticulturalist, distiller, and entrepreneur, Marin was an interpreter, doctor, advisor, and confidant to King Kamehameha I. Marin built his house and other structures on land granted to him by Kamehameha I in downtown Honolulu around 1810, where he lived until his death in 1837, at the age of 63. Prior to the construction of a 28-story high-rise building (Marin Tower) and parking structure in 1994, archaeological survey and excavation identified 15 historic coffin burials representing ten adults, 3 children, and two fetuses, from the Marin property. Using historical, archaeological, and forensic/osteological evidence, I outline how we tentatively identified Marin’s skeletal remains. Other burials may represent two of Marin’s wives and any of his eight children who were likely to have been buried on the property.