Comments on Amerindian Hunting Practices in Trinidad (West Indies): Tetrapods From the Manzanilla Site (Late Ceramic Age 300–900 AD)

ABSTRACT

Located on the eastern shore of Trinidad island, the Manzanilla (SAN-1) deposit is a lengthy pre-Columbian occupation sequence consisting of an extensive Palo Seco (Saladoid) layer (300–600 AD) and a Bontour layer (600–1400 AD). According to initial reports on faunal remains, the former inhabitants of this site seem to have developed acquisition strategies relying on a wide range of ecological niches, including marine and terrestrial resources. A wide faunal spectrum is present in the Manzanilla assemblage, illustrating an opportunistic exploitation of the local surroundings. Marine resources, such as mollusks and fish, have indeed played a continuous major role in pre-Columbian diet, but the significant amount of tetrapod remains show that terrestrial game was also significant. Published zooarchaeological material is relatively scarce in this region, particularly in Trinidad. Therefore, through the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the faunal remains (skeletal parts distribution, ungulates osteometry) this study aims to shed some light on the hunting practice patterns and food harvesting strategies of the former inhabitants.

Keywords:

• Caribbean
• economy and subsistence
• zooarchaeology

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to thank M. C. Dorst (Bureau Monumentenzorg en Archeologie, Dordrecht, NL) and D. C. Nieweg (Museum TwentseWelle, Enschede, NL) for allowing us the opportunity to study the Manzanilla faunal assemblage. We are also grateful to Dr. A. Boomert (Universiteit Leyden, NL) who kindly shared valuable information on Trinidad and the Lower Orinoco. The analysis of osteological elements would not have been possible without the priceless help of K. Debue, engineer in charge of the osteological collection of the UMR7209 of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. The staff of the Collections d’Anatomie Comparée and the Mammifères et Oiseaux collections of the MNHN should also be thanked here. A special thanks to J. Cucchi for proofreading. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to D. W. Steadman and the other reviewers whose remarks have greatly helped to enhance the content of this article.

Notes

¹ where S: number of taxa, N: total MNI.

² where .

³Y = aX^b where Y: estimated sample biomass, X: specimen weight, a: Y-intercept of the linear regression line, b: slope of the regression line.

⁴ where PR: percentage of representation, FO: MNE of each specimen, FT: number of each specimen in a complete skeleton.

⁵Ref.: MNHN 1974-93 (male, French Guyana), MNHN 1971-285 (female, French Guyana).

⁶Ref.: MNHN 1884-2 (male, Mexico), KH 495 (unknown sex, Nicaragua).

⁷Ref.: MNHN A-3324 (female, unknown origin), MNHN 1870-596 (female, unknown origin), MNHN 1879-192 (unknown sex and origin), MNHN 1913-71 (unknown sex and origin).