Human-bird relationship during the late Holocene in the Beagle Channel region (southern South America)

TIVOLI, ANGÉLICA MONTSERRAT

Iasi

Congreso; 7th Meeting of the Bird Working Group (BWG) of ICAZ (International Council of Archaeozoology); 2012

Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi

    Recent research about prehistoric subsistence among sea nomad societies of the Beagle Channel region (southern South America) have pointed out temporal changes in the utilization of animal resources between middle and late Holocene (Zangrando 2007, 2009a, b; Tivoli 2010a, b, c; Tivoli & Zangrando 2011). Proportional increase of fish and bird use has been registered for late Holocene period and also changes in bird and fish taxa selection.            During middle Holocene occupations (ca. 6400-4000 BP), the exploitation of birds was characterized mainly by penguins and cormorants. Meanwhile, in the more recent period (ca. 1500-100 BP) a percentage increase in the capture of Procellariiformes (albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters) has been recorded. Besides, during late Holocene, sites with dense concentrations of cormorant bone remains in elevated sectors of the coastal zone have been found and other sites with big amount of small petrels and shearwaters bone remains.            In this presentation we point out the characteristics of these latter occupations in order to relate the use of birds among prehistoric sea nomad societies with the patterns of landscape occupation analyzing possible explanations for this relationship.