Put A Bird On It! A Multi-Analytical Approach to Avian Analysis In Southwestern British Columbia

Summary

Zooarchaeological identifications provide important data related to subsistence changes and the exploitation of past environments. Previous faunal analyses at Shingle Point (DgRv-2), Dionisio Point (DgRv-3), and the Coon Bay/Perry Lagoon (DgRv-6) sites have indicated multiple occupations with important variation in archaeofaunal representation. These locales exhibit a variety of avian fauna, which are not frequently explored in detail within zooarchaeological analyses. We present new osteological data to understand the exploitation of avian species at these sites, which include plankhouse and midden contexts that span the Marpole and Late periods. Through analyzing the avian faunal assemblage, we can understand change over time in resource exploitation across a variety of microenvionments. The results also illustrate how settlement patterns and food acquisition in the southern Gulf Islands involved aspects of landscape construction and modification to enhance resource diversity and abundance.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17617