The Big Picture versus Minutiae: Geophytes, Plant Foods, and Ancient Human Economies

• Published in: American Antiquity
• Main Authors: Erlandson, Jon M., Gill, Kristina M., Braje, Todd J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2022
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aaq.2022.5; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0002731622000051

In a rejoinder to Gill et alia (2021), Martin (2022) accuses us of perpetuating misconceptions about human nutrition and erroneously describing geophytes as a dietary staple. We provide authoritative definitions for the terms “essential” and “dietary staple” to show that it is Martin who mischaracterizes and misunderstands the foundational role of geophytes and other plant foods to human diets and subsistence economies in Native North America outside of the Arctic. Recent data demonstrate that carbohydrate-rich geophytes were abundant, regularly utilized, and essential resources on the Northern Channel Islands, a dietary staple that was a rich source of calories and complemented the protein-rich shellfish and finfish that were also staple foods for the Island Chumash.