BH d 
near ARCHEOLOGY IN BRITISH GUIANA 5) 
anthropologists: the story of the problems, “adventures,” and inci- 
dental experiences that are encountered by anyone who ventures off 
the usual tourist paths. Since the lowlands of South America have 
attracted little attention from archeologists, an account of the manner 
in which fieldwork was conducted in British Guiana may serve to 
show that while the way is not always easy, neither is it exceptionally 
difficult or dangerous. The satisfaction of placing new facts in the 
archeological record and of visiting interesting people and places 
more than compensates for any discomforts that may be temporarily 
endured. 
We arrived at Georgetown, British Guiana, on October 15, 1952, by 
air (fig. 1). Interviews with the director of the British Guiana 
Museum and with officials in various Government agencies produced 
such ready cooperation that 9 days later, on October 24, we were able 
to take a British Guiana Airways plane for the interior, where we 
remained for more than 8 months. The 114-hour flight by DC-3 
cargo plane from the coast to the Government administrative station 
at Lethem on the Brazilian border was a pleasant surprise, since we 
had expected to go by river, a trip that because of the numercus 
portages consumes several weeks. 
In Lethem, we were given permission to make the Government rest 
house our headquarters, and trips to various parts of the north sa- 
vanna were arranged from this center. On November 23, we moved 
to the south savanna, where we were invited to make our base of oper- 
ations at Dadanawa, headquarters of the Rupununi Development 
Company. Transportation on the savanna was by foot (pl. 1), horse- 
back (pl. 2), Fordson truck (pl. 3, a), Land Rover (pl. 3, 6), tractor 
and trailer, or bullock cart (pl. 4, a), whichever method was available 
or suitable. We hung our hammocks in schoolhouses (pl. 5, a), police 
stations, ranchhouses, Indian verandas, abandoned thatched huts, 
cattle outstations, or in the house of a resident priest. When we were 
not guests at a ranch, we usually cooked our own meals on a small 
Swedish kerosene primus stove, with corned beef and rice as the staple 
diet. Army C-rations were ideal for cold lunches at the sites, since 
they were tasty and no time was lost in their preparation. Our 
guides were ranchers, Indians, a schoolteacher, a medical aide, and on 
occasion we scouted around by ourselves. 
We were in the Rupununi during the early part of the dry season, 
when the grass was still green and the weather was ideal. The beauty 
of the landscape was enhanced by a bright blue sky and magnificent, 
fluffy white cumulus clouds in the afternoons. Although the days 
were hot, the nights were cool and pleasant. We spent many an 
evening chatting with the ranchers about local and international 
topics, and were amazed to find a lively interest in the outcome of the 
1952 United States presidential election, which took place during 
