The Role of Avifauna in Paleodiet Reconstruction : An Arctic Case Study

• Main Author: Edwards, Tu-Kim
• Other Authors: Katzenberg, Mary Anne, Dawson, Peter C., Wilson, Warren M., Walls, Matthew D., Darwent, Christyann Marie
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Arts 2018
• Subjects: avifauna; Archaeology; stable isotope analysis; paleodiet; biological anthropology; Paleo-Inuit; Arctic; Ellesmere Island; Knud Peninsula; inuit
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/108699; https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/33052

This thesis explores the importance of birds in paleodietary reconstruction based on stable isotope analysis, using faunal remains from Arctic contexts as a case study. In the Arctic, migratory birds and their eggs have been important seasonal resources for hunter-gatherer populations, and while evidence of their utilization in the faunal record is apparent, their use is less clear from the isotopic record. Zooarchaeological analysis was carried out on a large sample of bird remains from Pre-Dorset and Dorset sites located on the Knud Peninsula of Ellesmere Island to assess bird hunting and processing amongst Paleo-Inuit groups. A subset of these archaeological bird remains were analyzed to determine the variation in avian isotopic signatures which was expected to differ from terrestrial and sea mammal isotopic signatures. An experimental study was carried out to test the assumption that the spacing between avian tissues (bone collagen, muscle, fat, and feathers) differs from tissue spacings in mammals. Linear mixing models were then used to estimate diet based on new tissue spacing data and isotope data from archaeological bird bone collagen. These results were compared to previous studies of Arctic paleodiet. Zooarchaeological analysis of the avifaunal remains suggests that Pre-Dorset and Dorset groups on the Knud Peninsula preferentially hunted eider ducks, and birds were heavily processed for human consumption. Bird bones were also used in tool production. Stable isotope analysis of various tissues from ducks fed a controlled diet indicates that avian tissue spacings differ from those of mammals by up to 2‰, especially for stable carbon isotopes. Results from the stable isotope analysis of archaeological avifaunal samples demonstrate that birds have variable isotopic signatures that reflect dietary preferences, migratory routes, and reproductive strategies. Finally, the inclusion of avian-specific tissue spacing values and isotopic signatures for birds and their eggs in linear mixing models for Arctic ...