Implications of Efe Ethnoarchaeology for Recognizing Human-Derived Faunal Assemblages and Carcass Processing Decisions

Summary

Archaeological analyses of faunal remains frequently rely on observations derived from ethnoarchaeological studies to identify bone surface modifications that were the result of animal capture, butchery, and consumption by humans. In addition to the accurate identification of human-derived modifications, ethnoarchaeological studies in which carcass processing and consumption were observed and documented can provide a more precise means to recognizing specific human behavioral choices, such as carcass skinning, defleshing, disarticulation, marrow and grease extraction, and, ultimately, culturally-mediated processing decisions. However, many zoo-ethnoarchaeological studies have focused on larger bovids, and it is not clear that smaller animals retain similar types and frequencies of human-induced surface modifications. In this paper, we present analyses of size 1 bovids (<20 kg body weight) captured, butchered, and consumed by Efe foragers of the Democratic Republic of Congo and ethnoarchaeological observations of animal capture, carcass processing, and consumption. We document the frequency, location, and morphology of bone surface modifications as well as skeletal part frequencies, butchery patterns, and processing decisions. Our study provides a control assemblage focused on size 1 bovids and reveals that their carcass remains exhibit numerous bone surface modifications that are the residues of specific behavioral choices of the Efe.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21566