The consortium consists of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary experts from the discipline of history, archaeology, ethnobotany, museology, biology, heritage management and virtual reality photogrammetry. The consortium will be managed by the main applicant, the Anton de Kom Univeristy of Suriname, Dept. of History; Dr. Cheryl White, an historical archaeologist and Dr. Eric Jagdew, a historian. Their research focus is the historical and material intersection of Maroons and Indigenous peoples of the Guiana Shield of South America. They have both published about Maroon archaeology, community based archaeology, Maroon history, and the use of traditional knowledge in the telling of history. Other Surinamese cooperation partners, the Stichting Surinaams Museum and the Jodensavanne Foundation, are experienced in research about Maroon and Indigenous heritage management and representation. The consortium also consists of accomplished experts from Netherlands knowledge institutes: Allard Pierson, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Wageningen University and Research, Jewish Museum, Amsterdam, Wereldmuseum and Reinwardt Academy. For example Tinde van Andel of Naturalis, has expertise in ethobotanical history of Maroons, particularly the historical origins of African rice; as well Caroline Fernandes Caromano has published about comparative studies of seeds associated with Indigenous objects. Colleagues at the Allard Pierson and Wereldmuseum offer expertise in provenance research and management, while the Reinwardt Academy is well known for its theoretical and applied approach to museum management and visitor experience. Moreover, as an archaeologist, technologist and museology, Craig Stevens, expertise in virtual reality photogrammetry as exemplified in the recent exhibit at the US Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, will situate the provenance research into a virtual reality and augmented reality experience for museum patrons. Collectively, these consortium partners will facilitate the reinterpretation of existing knowledge and thereby enhance Suriname's historiography.
