Testing an ethnographic analogy through geometric morphometrics: a comparison between ethnographic arrows and archaeological projectile points from Fuego-Patagonia

CHARLIN, J.; GONZÁLEZ-JOSÉ, R.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Academic Press Inc.

Año: 2018 vol. 51 p. 159 - 172

0278-4165

Under certain conditions, ethnographic analogies can help to shed light on past behaviors registered in the archaeological record via observation and model-building from modern societies. In this context, ethnographic weapons are often used as morphometric models to assign a given function to archaeological projectile points. For southern Patagonia, J. Bird proposed a functional analogy between the arrows of the Onas (also known as Selk?nam), a hunter-gatherer group that inhabited northern Tierra del Fuego during historical times, and the type V Late Holocene projectile points from southern continental Patagonia archaeological sites. Based on the similarity in terms of small size and shape attributes between type V archaeological points and Ona (Selk?nam) ethnographic arrows, Bird proposed the former were arrow points. Here we test the morphometric analogy based on comparisons of size and shape variables defining Ona (Selk?nam) arrows from museum ethnographic collections and type V projectile points from southern Patagonia archaeological sites. Then, we assess the relative importance of projectile point reduction as a source of morphometric variation. We compared both archaeological and ethnographic points using geometric morphometrics and multivariate statistical analyses. Results show significant shape differences between ethnographic and archaeological samples before and after controlling for size and reduction estimators, suggesting that both kinds of points had different designs and life histories. However, if a spear-like point type is included in the comparison, Ona (Selk?nam) and type V points cluster together. This broader comparison notes that in a context of functional diversity, and when reduction effects are well-known ethnographic weapons can be considered as useful morphometric models to assess the function of archaeological points. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account similarities in environment, subsistence, mobility, tool design constraints and lithic technology characteristics prior any extrapolation based on ethnographic analogies.