The Coarse Volcanic Rock Industry at the Río Ibáñez 6 West Site, Chilean Patagonia: Assessing Geogenic Versus Anthropogenic Processes

Abstract

Prentiss et al. (2015, The Coarse Volcanic Rock Industry at Rio Ibáñez 6 west, Aisén Region, Patagonian Chile. Lithic Technology 40:112–127) described a unique assemblage of bifacial and unifacial tools made from coarse volcanic rock at the Río Ibáñez 6 west site in Chilean Patagonia. The artifacts offer significant implications for interpreting the behavior of late pre-Colonial peoples in this region. Garvey and Mena (2016, Re-Analysis of a recently Described Coarse Volcanic Rock Assemblage from Chilean Patagonia. Lithic Technology 41:114–129) challenge this interpretation arguing instead that the items were actually products of natural processes. They offer three tests of the natural versus cultural hypotheses, each with ambiguous results. We develop a frame of reference derived from prior knowledge of geogenic, biogenic and anthropogenic processes for a more direct evaluation of the materials in question. We then provide evidence that the assemblage is the result of human activity and offer an additional comment on differing approaches to archaeological methodology.

Keywords:

• Lithic technology
• Coarse volcanic rock
• Hunter–gatherers
• Patagonia

Acknowledgements

We thank our colleagues Raven Garvey and Francisco Mena for their interest in the materials we excavated at RI6w. While we disagree on some specific interpretations we all recognize the importance of these discussions and their potential implications. Archaeological investigations in 2012 at RI6w were funded by a grant from FONDECYT (#1110556) to Francisco Mena. We thank Dr Mena for his invitation to participate in the project. We thank our students and colleagues for their work in the field and lab. We thank Nathan Goodale and Pei-Lin Yu for their helpful comments on this manuscript. We take full responsibility for all positions taken.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Anna Marie Prentiss

Anna Marie Prentiss received her Ph.D. in 1993 from the Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University. She has conducted field research in Chilean Patagonia and in many portions of western North America with a particular focus on British Columbia and Alaska. She is currently professor of archaeology in the Department of Anthropology, University of Montana-Missoula. Her research interests include lithic technology, hunter-gatherers, and evolutionary theory.

Kristen D. Barnett

Kristen D. Barnett received her Ph.D. in 2015 from the Department of Anthropology, University of Montana-Missoula. She has conducted field research in Chilean Patagonia, Montana, British Columbia, and Alaska. She is currently an NSF Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology, University of Montana-Missoula. Her research interests include lithic technology, hunter-gatherers, and indigenous archaeology.

Matthew J. Walsh

Matthew J. Walsh received his PhD from the Department of Anthropology, University of Montana-Missoula. Matt's work focuses on zooarchaeology and assessing change in hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies over time, and applying phylogenetic methods to investigate culture change. Much of his work integrates environmental and evolutionary archaeology. He has worked in the Russian Far East, Chilean Patagonia, Alaska, and throughout northwestern North America. He is currently a post-doctoral research fellow with the Arctic Research Center at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark.