A preliminary carbon and nitrogen isotopic investigation of bone collagen from skeletal remains recovered from a Pre-Columbian burial site, Matanzas Province, Cuba

Buhay, William M.; Armas, Yadira Chinique de; Suárez, Roberto Rodríguez; Arredondo, Carlos; Smith, David; Armstrong, Stephanie; Roksandić, Mirjana

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2012.08.021

Cited by 12 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Numerous isotopic studies in the Caribbean region have revealed substantial insights on indigenous human paleodiet (Buhay et al 2013;Chinique de Armas et al 2015; Keegan and DeNiro 1988;Krigbaum, Fitzpatrick, and Bankaitis 2013;Laffoon and de Vos 2011;Laffoon, Hoogland et al 2016;Norr 2002;Pestle 2010Pestle , 2013Stokes 1998) and human paleomobility (e.g. Booden et al 2008;Laffoon 2012Laffoon , 2013Valcárcel Rojas et al 2011) practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multi-Isotope Investigation of Human and Dog Mobility and Diet in the Pre-Colonial Antilles

Laffoon

Hoogland

Davies

et al. 2017

Environmental Archaeology

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The complex relationships between humans and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) have a very deep and unique history. Dogs have accompanied humans as they colonised much of the world, and were introduced via human agency into the insular Caribbean where they became widespread throughout the Ceramic Age. It is likely that the dynamic interactions between humans, dogs, and their environments in the Caribbean were spatially, chronologically, and socially variable. However, almost no research has specifically addressed the nature, or potential variability, of human/dog interactions in this region. This study presents isotopic (strontium and carbon) evidence bearing on human and dog paleomobility and paleodietary patterns in the precolonial Caribbean. The isotope results illustrate a generally high degree of correspondence between human and dog dietary practices at all analysed sites but also slight differences in the relative importance of different dietary inputs. Striking parallels are also observed between the human and dog mobility patterns and shed light on broader networks of social interaction and exchange. Lastly, the paper addresses the possible utility and relevance of canine isotope data as proxies for inferring past human behaviours. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multi-Isotope Investigation of Human and Dog Mobility and Diet in the Pre-Colonial Antilles

Laffoon

Hoogland

Davies

et al. 2017

Environmental Archaeology

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“…On average, 5 and 3‰ carbon and nitrogen respective isotopic enrichments between diet and collagen were employed in earlier human paleodiet studies (Ambrose and Norr, 1993;Lee-Thorp et al, 1989;Schoeninger, 1985;Van der Merwe and Vogel, 1978). Since then, more recent studies have employed variable Dd 13 C diet-col and Dd 15 N diet-col enrichments between 0 to 5 and 3e6‰, respectively, to account for conditions or circumstances pertaining to their specific paleodiet reconstructions (Bocherens and Druker, 2003;Bourbou et al, 2011;Buhay et al, 2013;Fernandes et al, 2014;Hedges and Reynard, 2007;Kellner and Schoeninger, 2007;Kinaston et al, 2012Kinaston et al, , 2013Kinaston et al, , 2014Kusaka et al, 2010;O'Connell et al, 2012;Price et al, 2012;Tykot, 2002). Importantly, some earlier and more recent studies also detected diet-specific variations in the diet-collagen fractionation factors suggesting that the exact dietary offsets (Dd 13 C diet-col , Dd 15 N diet-col ) are influenced by the isotopic compositions of the macronutrients consumed (Froehle et al, 2010).…”

Section: Isotopic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…With a total excavated area of 36 m 2 and a minimum number of 83 adults and 130 subadults, Canímar Abajo is one of the largest pre-Columbian cemeteries excavated in Cuba (Roksandic et al, in press). Since 2010, research has been conducted within a joint Cuban/Canadian project with a multidisciplinary approach Buhay et al, 2013;Roksandic et al, in press;Roksandic, in press).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The constructed food web therefore represents plants and animals available to the Canímar Abajo population that occupied the two cemeteries. The isotopic compositions of the food web flora and fauna were derived from previous Caribbean isotopic studies (Buhay et al, 2013;Keegan and DeNiro, 1988;Pestle, 2010;Stokes, 1998). The contemporary food web flora and fauna isotopic compositions were adjusted to account for the Suess Effect by adding þ4‰ and þ1‰ to C 3 and C 4 plants, respectively Warinner et al, 2013) and þ1.5 and þ3‰ to terrestrial and marine animals, respectively (Pestle, 2010).…”

Section: Isotopic Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Isotopic values and standard deviations (‰ Air for nitrogen; VPDP for carbon) for CA probable source diet components used in the SIAR calculations (both OC and YC) (Buhay et al, 2013;Keegan and DeNiro, 1988;Pestle, 2010;Stokes, 1998;Warinner and Turros, 2010 (Holst et al, 2007: 17609), with the number of pressure facets varying when the granule is rotated (Holst et al, 2007). The hilum typically exhibits radial or stellate fissures (Holst et al, 2007: 17609; Mickleburgh and Pag an Jim enez, 2012: Appendix B).…”

Section: Tablementioning

confidence: 99%

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Starch analysis and isotopic evidence of consumption of cultigens among fisher–gatherers in Cuba: the archaeological site of Canímar Abajo, Matanzas

Armas

Buhay

Suárez

et al. 2015

Journal of Archaeological Science

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Assessing the association between subsistence strategies and the timing of weaning among indigenous archaeological populations of the Caribbean

Armas

Pestle

2018

Intl J of Osteoarchaeology

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Human breastfeeding is a biocultural process shaped by the interaction of numerous biological, cultural, economic, and social factors. Although previous studies have found that a society's subsistence economy alone does not determine weaning timing, subsistence may still have a profound effect on weaning food choices. This paper analyses nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes in bone collagen and apatite of individuals from six precolonial Caribbean sites grouped into four subsistence categories: Hunter‐Fisher‐Gatherers (Cueva del Perico I and Cueva Calero, Cuba), Horticulturalists (Canímar Abajo, Cuba), Agriculturalists from the Antilles (Paso del Indio, Puerto Rico), and Agriculturalists of Mesoamerica (Marco Gonzalez and San Pedro, Belize) in order to explore how subsistence economy affected the different groups' breastfeeding and weaning practices. Ages for the start and the end of weaning, and the isotopic characteristics of possible food sources used as supplements during the weaning process, were assessed using the Bayesian probability model “Weaning Age Reconstruction with Nitrogen isotopes.” Model results indicate (a) a major dietary change around 2 years of age for most of the study populations, (b) that supplements seem to have been introduced into nonadults diet at earlier ages than has been observed in ethnographic populations of the area, (c) no direct correlation between the start of weaning and the availability of cultigens, but (d) that groups that had access to cultigens would appear to have weaned their children using foods with lower nitrogen isotope values, suggesting that plants (likely domesticates) may have had an important role as weaning foods.

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A preliminary carbon and nitrogen isotopic investigation of bone collagen from skeletal remains recovered from a Pre-Columbian burial site, Matanzas Province, Cuba

Cited by 12 publications

References 71 publications

A Multi-Isotope Investigation of Human and Dog Mobility and Diet in the Pre-Colonial Antilles

A Multi-Isotope Investigation of Human and Dog Mobility and Diet in the Pre-Colonial Antilles

Starch analysis and isotopic evidence of consumption of cultigens among fisher–gatherers in Cuba: the archaeological site of Canímar Abajo, Matanzas

Assessing the association between subsistence strategies and the timing of weaning among indigenous archaeological populations of the Caribbean

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