Metagenomic analysis of pre-contact diet using ancient dental calculus from Prince Rupert Harbour, British Columbia

Summary

Prior to the displacement caused by European colonization, the Coast Tsimshian harvested an array of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine dietary resources as they moved between coastal settlements and the nearby Skeena River valley. Conventional paleodietary analysis using faunal analysis and isotopic values has provided valuable data which, when paired with the knowledge of First Nations communities, can help reconstruct how ancestral communities utilized food resources prior to the cultural disruption caused by European contact. However, these methods of analysis are limited in their ability to pair the consumption of specific species with specific individuals, potentially resulting in an incomplete analysis of how individuals in these communities interacted with their environment. Building on previous archaeological analyses, this paper will present the results of a metagenomic study which used next-generation DNA sequencing methods to identify plant and animal DNA preserved in the dental calculus of ancient human remains from several sites across the Prince Rupert Harbour area. The results of this study provide an exciting new lens through which to examine traditional resource use and food-related culture within the ancient communities of the Prince Rupert Harbour area waterways.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Tsimshian Archaeology: 50 Years of Research and 10,000 years of History

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16594