How WARE’s Volunteers’ On-Site Work Weekend is Shaping the Future of Jamaican Heritage Conservation!
Written by Tedecia Bromfield
On-site team: L-R Peter Francis, Hilary Nicholson, Jonas Cummings, Tyrone Mckie,
Guy Parchment, Carol Narcisse, Cecile Johnson Semaj, Sariyah Mohammed,
Danielle Fuller, Naomi Coke, Tedecia Bromfield, Ann Hodges
Volunteering for a WARE Collective (Wattle and Red Earth) On-Site Work Weekend is a wonderful way to engage traditional building methods. These building methods serve as witnesses to our cultural history and embody our collective sense of place. The methods also represent tangible legacies—symbols of sustainability, in the past and for the future.
The Volunteers’ On-Site Work Weekend, held between November 15 and November 17, 2024, was convened by The WARE Collective to restore structures at the open-air, Living Museum site in development in Southfield, St. Elizabeth.
This Living Museum will be a repository of information and building skills, as well as reconstructed and repurposed historic buildings. It will preserve and promote sustainable, traditional construction materials, vernacular building techniques and other aspects of Jamaica’s heritage.
The volunteers’ On-Site Work Weekend was designed to explore our relationship with local heritage and sustainable traditional approaches to living. Participants’ curiosity and interests represented various disciplines, so with a focus on interdisciplinarity, this Weekend united masons, crafters, artists, archivists, academics, and historians, under the guidance of master craftspeople.
What we wanted to achieve:
Learning from the Past: Deepening our understanding of why it's important to preserve traditional construction methods.
Hands-on training: A practical experience of traditional construction techniques.
Applying to the future: Insights into how we might integrate the information and skills into daily practices to preserve and adapt ancestral techniques for modern use.
Learning From The Past
The Weekend featured two Jamaican traditional construction techniques - thatching and wattle and daub. We learnt that many of these practices were transmitted from our predecessors - Taino, Kalinago and African. The Taino and Kalinago people constructed their buildings of wood and thatched them with palm tree leaves. Many of the enslaved Africans would have come from societies where thatch was also widely used. In keeping with that tradition, most Jamaican slave villages also had thatched-roofed houses. It is likely that fusion between Taino, and Kalinago cultures and African styles might also have taken place.
Photo taken from the Institute of Jamaica. (1986-1987). Jamaica Journal. November-January issue. Retrieved from https://ufdc.ufl.edu/uf00090030/00053 pg 28
We also explored the history and construction techniques of wattle and daub, a method that has been widely used in the Caribbean since the 18th century. This technique, popularized through African influences, remained common well into the post-emancipation period. We learned that wattle and daub was the predominant building method in many areas, with buildings often thatched as well. The Work Weekend facilitated theoretical explorations, which also deepened our understanding of how these building methods were employed historically.
Peter Francis, WARE Architect, provides theoretical information to volunteers Tyrone, Sariyah and Danielle.
Hands-On Training
With our understanding and enthusiasm piqued, we were then immersed in a hands-on experience of these techniques guided by Master Builders Mr. Guy Parchment and Mr. Jonas Cummings.
Take a virtual tutorial to learn more about various traditional building techniques here at the WARE website: thatching for roofing.
Thatching by Master Builder Guy Parchment, Cecile and Danielle.
We explored wattle and daub - the traditional technique for creating walls using natural materials like wood, soil, bamboo and lime. This section was led by Mr. Cummings.
Mr. Cummings, creating and applying daub with volunteers Tedecia, Naomi and Sariyah.
Mr. Cummings demonstrating wattling with bamboo.
Our training also included lime harvesting— gathering and storing lime created On-Site using a traditionally constructed lime kiln. The lime is a crucial ingredient for making mortar. We learned about mortaring techniques to bind and stabilize the materials.
Lime Harvesting by Naomi and Hilary.
Lime Mortar mixed by Mr. Parchment
Applying To The Future
The On-Site Work Weekend demonstrated ways traditional building methods, though applicable for restoring historic structures, can also definitely respond to contemporary needs. When modern building practices incorporate traditional techniques, they honour ancestral wisdom without sacrificing present-day utility.
The experience over the On-Site Work Weekend was instrumental in teaching us about heritage preservation and sustainable building methods. Importantly, it also helped us hone a sense of cultural identity and appreciation for community resilience and the durability and longevity of our historical legacies.
By observing and participating in refurbishing a wattle and daub installation, and thatching a roof at the WARE Collective’s Living Museum site, we successfully brought our mission to life - to contribute to preserving and revitalizing Jamaica’s traditional building and crafting techniques.
Activities like the volunteers’ On-Site Work Weekend are not just one-time events. Such weekends are amongst the ways being used to achieve the BIG vision and plans of WARE and to encourage a new generation of craftspeople and cultural stewards who will carry the knowledge, appreciation and practices forward into the future.
Here is what some of our participants had to say about how they’ll use the techniques learnt over the weekend:
1. I hope to build a cottage or storeroom using the techniques learnt here.
2. I’m inspired by new dreams and visions of how to steward the land!
3. This experience was truly transformative! I feel so empowered to be part of this incredible community. As a researcher, historian, and artist, I’m excited to incorporate the techniques I learned—like thatching—into my craft-making and art practices. It has also completely reshaped my perspective on earth building, profoundly influencing the direction of my work moving forward. Beyond the skills, the connections I made were unforgettable—I’ve found lifelong friends through this journey, and it was genuinely such a joy to be a part of.
4. It was a very enriching experience, from the bonds formed en route to the site, to stories shared throughout, to the fun impromptu workshop with a local artist, Mazola! It was wonderful gaining and sharing so much interdisciplinary knowledge and experience over the weekend. I also plan to incorporate a lot of the principles and practices into my art practice, incorporating more sustainable methods and resources to create art.
5. I will share some of the documentation we’re creating through a digital archive, along with educational materials in languages most accessible to Caribbean communities. I also plan to share what I’ve learned with the community I connected with during an earthen building course in Trinidad, and I hope to collaborate on a build there.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I get involved in the next volunteer weekend?
To get involved, send an email to thewarecollective@gmail.com with your request to become a volunteer. You’ll be added to the proper channel, where you can learn more about upcoming opportunities and sign-up details.
2. Who can participate in WARE’s On-Site Work Weekends?
Anyone with a passion for Jamaican heritage, cultural preservation, and sustainable building practices is welcome to participate! Whether you're an artist, historian, craftsperson, architect, or someone eager to learn more, WARE’s initiatives are designed to include people from various backgrounds and skill sets.
3. How does the Living Museum Site contribute to heritage conservation?
The Living Museum Site is a key part of WARE’s efforts to preserve Jamaican heritage. By reconstructing and repurposing historic buildings, integrating sustainable traditional construction methods, and using local materials, the site will serve as a living repository of knowledge, a place for ongoing training, and a symbol of cultural resilience.
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