Exploring Domestic Food Origins of the Chinese Community At Terrace (42bo547) Through Isotopic Studies

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Transitioning from Commemoration to Analysis on the Transcontinental Railroad in Utah: Papers in Honor and Memory of Judge Michael Wei Kwan" , at the 2021 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Analysis of stable isotopes in bone collagen has been widely used to determine diet in humans and other vertebrates. The methods are well established in theory and practice. This exploratory project is focused on pig and cattle bones collected from surface contexts at Terrace to obtain δ13C, δ15N and Sr isotopic signatures. Comparison with isotopic signatures from local plants and animals, plus published records, will provide a picture of whether these animals were being raised locally or being imported. Understanding the development of food networks along the Transcontinental Railroad with specific attention to the immigrant Chinese community is an important topic of research involving the archaeological record. The information obtained can move beyond a simple understanding of local economic conditions to explore intimate details of this immigrant group and how they adapted traditional foodways to the potential constraints of living in America.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2021   •
• Transitioning from Commemoration to Analysis on the Transcontinental Railroad in Utah: Papers in Honor and Memory of Judge Michael Wei Kwan

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology