Niche construction processes in Northpatagonia during the Late Holocene: bioarchaeological patterns of conflict and subsistence

BERNAL V.; GORDON F.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; VI Congreso de la Asociacion de Paleopatologia en Sudamerica; 2015

Processes of niche construction of Patagonian populations can now be discussed in light of the significant archaeological evidence available. The NicheConstruction Theory (NCT) suggests that individuals modify their niche andthat of the populations around them, through their activities and choices. Arelevant implication is that these processes have the potential to transform certain selective pressures and, therefore, could alter the evolutionary dynamics ofpopulations.The aim of this presentation is to characterize the processes of niche construction in hunter-gatherer groups that inhabited different environments inNorthpatagonia (e.g., coast and mountain) during the late Holocene. Differenttypes of variables were recorded in samples of human skeletal remains: 1) traumatic lesions and 2) paleodietary indicators (e.g., stable isotopes analysis andcaries). Previously published information was also taken into account.Northwestern Patagonia (Argentina) is characterized by circumscribed,highly seasonal spaces with high diversity of resources and a relatively highpopulation density compared to the Northeastern of the region. Therefore, significant levels of interpersonal violence and indicators of diet that led to infersuch dietary variation (e.g., the consumption of continental resources, both animals and plants) are expected. By contrast, the Northeastern Patagonia corresponds to a coastal environment that was occupied during the Late Holocene for hunter-gatherers groups with wide ranges of action. The availability of theresources was probably less diverse. Under these conditions lower levels ofinterpersonal violence, isotopic signals that reflect the consumption of marineresources and relatively fewer caries are expected. In general terms, the resultscorroborate these expectations, which allow discussing evolutionary trajectories of the populations from Northpatagonia within the NCT frame, where certain cultural traits, such as levels of conflict and dietary patterns, could have aneffect on the biological trends of human groups.