Defining the Historic Landscape on Eastern Santa Rosa Island: Archaeological Investigations atQshiwqshiw

Abstract

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Archaeological and stable isotope data reveal patterns of fishing across the food web on California’s Channel Islands

“…All faunal samples from this study were obtained from the 1.0 × 0.5-m Unit 1 and initially sorted and analyzed at San Diego State University’s Environmental Anthropology and Archaeology Laboratory (Braje et al, 2014). Fish remains from 1/8-inch and larger mesh were sorted from all other faunal remains.…”

“…Old Ranch Canyon is the largest drainage on the island and runs in a northwest-southwest direction, with a marsh and large coastal plain at the canyon mouth, and a rich variety of nearby marine habitats (i.e. kelp forest, rocky shores, and sand beaches; see Braje et al, 2014; Cole and Liu, 1994).…”

“…We focus on a late Holocene archeological site, CA-SRI-85, located within the Skunk Point State Marine Reserve on eastern Santa Rosa Island (Figure 1). Dated to between 675 and 1835 cal AD (2 sigma), CA-SRI-85, along with nearby CA-SRI-87, likely correspond to the historical Chumash village, Qshiwqshiw , which means “ bird droppings ” (Braje et al, 2014). The site was occupied into the Mission Period and provides a pre-contact baseline for local ecosystems alongside changes in Chumash society that occurred after the arrival of the Spanish.…”

“…Ethnohistoric records indicate that Qshiwqshiw was one of the largest and most important villages on the northern Channel Islands, with at least four chiefs in residence in the 19th century and no other island village having more than one (McLendon, 1999). At this time, Chumash population densities were high, estimated to be ~3000 people across the northern Channel Islands and ~120 residents based on baptismal records at Qshiwqshiw alone (Braje et al, 2010, 2014; McLendon, 1999). We combine zooarchaeological analysis from CA-SRI-85 with isotopic techniques including δ 13 C and δ 15 N analysis of bulk bone collagen, along with δ 13 C analysis of individual amino acids.…”

Identifying Specialized 19th Century Fishing Camps on California's Northern Channel Islands: Applying AMS Radiocarbon Dating to Historical Sites

“…Archaeologists have also used 14 C dates, along with the presence of historical glass beads and other artifacts, to identify the locations of 18th-19th century Chumash villages described in ethnohistoric records on the Northern Channel Islands (e.g. Kennett 2005;Braje et al 2014b). Similarly, eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shell middens on the Chesapeake Bay, once thought to be prehistoric in age, were 14 C dated to the Historic period and subsequent excavations identified historical artifacts that corroborated the 14 C dates (Rick et al 2014).…”