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ABSTRACT
Native American use of birds on the Oregon coast is not well known and has never been synthesized to present a regional understanding. We rectify this by analyzing data from 26 zooarchaeological assemblages, including three previously unpublished bird assemblages: Umpqua/Eden (35DO83), Whale Cove (35LNC60), and the Dunes Site (35CLT27). We employ a series of non-parametric randomization tests to directly evaluate patterns of taxonomic diversity, correlations with nearby breeding colonies, and broader procurement strategies discussed in ethnohistorical accounts. We compare the assemblages to contemporary surveys of naturally beached birds as observed by COASST (Coastal Observation Seabird Survey Team) and evaluate whether archaeological specimens were scavenged from the beach. While 71% of the identified bird remains belong to just three families (Anatidae, Alcidae, and Procellariidae), closer analysis reveals the incredible diversity of birds used by Oregon coast Native Americans. The assemblages vary considerably in terms of taxonomic diversity and composition, leading us to conclude that people used birds opportunistically, likely incorporating multiple strategies, including hunting, collecting beached carcasses and targeting cormorant colonies. We hope that the methods and approaches employed here will inspire other archaeologists to devote more attention to bird assemblages, and how their study can inform conservation efforts.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the Archaeology and Zoology Divisions of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard, Oregon State University, and Ann Bennett-Rogers for access to the archaeological and comparative collections. At the University of Oregon, we acknowledge Pam Endzweig, Museum of Natural and Cultural History, for facilitating the loan of the Dunes assemblage. We thank Keith Hamm and Yu Hirasawa, two undergraduate students from Moss's 2009 Zooarchaeology course, for assisting Ulrich to analyze a portion of the collection. Many thanks are also due to the numerous archaeologists who provided site reports and other advice, including Agnes Castronuevo, Thomas Connolly, John Fagan, Ruth Greenspan, Roberta Hall, Lee Lyman, Rick Minor, Pat O'Grady, and Mark Tveskov. Bovy was partially supported through an EPA STAR (Science to Achieve Results) Fellowship (#U-91576301), a NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant (#BCS-0242632), and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington. COASST analyses (Parrish, Jones) were supported by NSF EHR/DRL award 1322820 and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife award 13–1435.
SUPPLEMENTAL
Supplemental table for this article is available at the publisher's website at https://doi.org/10.1080/15564894.2018.1457105.
Notes
1. The American Ornithological Union (AOU) recently changed the name for Sooty Shearwaters from Puffinus griseus to Ardenna grisea (Chesser et al. Citation2016) based on recent genetic work; most other shearwaters are also now in the genus Ardenna, rather than Puffinus (AOU Citation2017).
2. This does not include 1 kittiwake bone.