Good to eat or good to paint? Faunal consumption and avoidance among hunter-gatherer-fishers in the Beagle Channel region (Tierra del Fuego, Southern South America)

FIORE, DÁNAE; TIVOLI, ANGÉLICA MONTSERRAT; ZANGRANDO, ATILIO FRANCISCO J.

Dublin (Irlanda)

Congreso; 6th World Archaeological Congress; 2008

st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD; mso-fareast-language:ES-TRAD;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> st1:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD; mso-fareast-language:ES-TRAD;} @page Section1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->  This paper focuses on the analysis of some social conceptions about maritime faunal resources and their consequences on their differential uses by hunter-gatherer-fishers from the Beagle Channel region (Tierra del Fuego, Southern South America). Particular uses of birds and fish in terms of diet, technology and ceremonial body painting are investigated. To this end, we analyse data from archaeological contexts and ethnographic sources ranging from the XVI to the XIX centuries. We argue that not every species was exploited according to optimality principles, therefore indicating the importance of social factors in their consumption and/or avoidance.