Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T00:29:43.844Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cluster Analysis of Paleofecal Data Sets: A Test of Late Prehistoric Settlement and Subsistence Patterns in the Northern Coachella Valley, California

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Mark Q. Sutton
Mark Q. Sutton*
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, California State University, 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93311-1099
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Data from human paleofecal samples can be used to address a variety of questions, primarily the reconstruction of diet, but also the analysis of nutrition, health, technology, and behavior Statistical analyses of constituents can be used to broaden the potential of paleofecal data, as well as to detail cuisine and to address larger issues of settlement/subsistence models. This potential is illustrated with a cluster analysis of paleofecal constituents from three late prehistoric period sites along the northern shore of ancient Lake Cahuilla, located in the Coachella Valley of southern California. These data were used to test competing settlement/subsistence models: one of large permanent lakeside villages dependent on lacustrine resources, and the other of seasonal, rather than permanent, lakeshore occupation. In addition, the analysis revealed additional details of diet and cuisine in the late prehistoric period.

Résumé

Résumé

Datos recabados de muestras paleofecales humanas se pueden usar para abordar una serie de preguntas, primordialmente sob re la reconstrucción de la dieta, pero también incluyendo los análisis de nutrición, salud, technología, y comportamiento. Los análisis estadísticos de los constituyentes se pueden usar para ampliar el potencial de los datos paleofecales, así como detallar la cocina y abordar los temas más amplios de los modelos de asentamiento/subsistencia. Este potencial es ilustrado con un análisis de grupo de los constituyentes de tres localidades del período prehistórico tardío a lo largo de la orilla norte del antiguo lago Cahuilla, localizado en el valle Coachella en el sur de California. Estos datos fueron usados para poner a prueba modelos rivales de asentamiento/subsistencia: uno de aldeas lacustrinas permanentes dependientes de los recursos lacustres, y el otro de ocupación temporal, estacional en lugar de permanente, de sitios en la orilla de lagunas. Más aún, el análisis reveló detalles adicionales de la dieta y la cocina en el período prehistórico tardío.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 63 , Issue 1 , January 1998 , pp. 86 - 107
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Barrows, D. P. 1900 The Ethno-Botany of the Coahuilla Indians of Southern California. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bean, L. J. 1972 Mukat's People: The Cahuilla Indians of Southern California. University of California Press, Berkeley.Google Scholar
Bean, L. J. 1978 Cahuilla. In California, edited by Heizer, R. F., pp. 575–587. Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 8., Sturtevant, W. C., general editor. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. Google Scholar
Bean, L. J., and Mason, W. M. 1962 Diaries and Accounts of the Romero Expeditions in Arizona and California, 1823-1826. Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California.Google Scholar
Bean, L. J., and Saubel, K. S. 1972 Temalpakh: Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants. Malki Museum Press, Banning, California.Google Scholar
Bryant, V. M., Jr. 1994 Callen's Legacy. In Paleonutrition: The Diet and Health of Prehistoric Americans, edited by Sobolik, K. D., pp. 151–160. Occasional Paper No. 22. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.Google Scholar
Butler, V. L., and Schroeder, R. A. 1996 Effects of Digestion on Tui Chub Bones and Teeth. Paper presented at the Great Basin Anthropological Conference, Kings Beach, Nevada.Google Scholar
Calder, A. M. 1977 Survival Properties of Organic Residues through the Human Digestive Tract. Journal of Archaeological Science 4: 141–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Callen, E. O. 1967a The First New World Cereal. American Antiquity 32: 535–538.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Callen, E. O. 1967b Analysis of the Tehuacan Coprolites. In The Prehistory of the Tehuacan Valley, vol. 1, edited by Byers, D. S., pp. 261–289. University of Texas Press, Austin.Google Scholar
Castetter, E. F, and Bell, W. H. 1951 Yuman Indian Agriculture. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.Google Scholar
Cummings, L. S. 1989 Coprolites from Medieval Christian Nubia: An Interpretation of Diet and Nutritional Stress. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Colorado, Boulder.Google Scholar
Cummings, L. S. 1994 Anasazi Diet: Variety in the Hoy House and Lion House Coprolite Record and Nutritional Analysis. In Paleonutrition: The Diet and Health of Prehistoric Americans, edited by Sobolik, K. D., pp. 134–150. Occasional Paper No. 22. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.Google Scholar
Farrell, N. 1988 Analysis of Human Coprolites from CA-RIV-1179 and CA-RIV-2827. In Archaeological Investigations at CA-RIV-1179, CA-RIV-2823, and CA-RIV-2827, La Quinta, Riverside County, California, edited by Sutton, M. Q. and Wilke, P.J. pp. 129–142. Archives of California Prehistory No. 20. Coyote Press, Salinas, California.Google Scholar
Follett, W. I. 1988 Analysis of Fish Remains from Archaeological Sites CA-RIV-1179 and CA-RIV-2827, La Quinta, Riverside County, California. In Archaeological Investigations at CA-RIV-1179, CA-RIV-2823, and CA-RIV-2827, La Quinta, Riverside County, California, edited by Sutton, M. Q. and Wilke, P.J. pp. 143–155. Archives of California Prehistory No. 20. Coyote Press, Salinas, California.Google Scholar
Fry, G.F. 1985 Analysis of Fecal Material. In The Analysis of Prehistoric Diets, edited by Gilbert, R. I., Jr., and Mielke, J. H., pp. 127–154. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida.Google Scholar
Greig, J. 1984 Garderobes, Sewers, Cesspits and Latrines. Current Archaeology 85: 49–52.Google Scholar
Gremillion, K. J., and Sobolik, K. D. 1996 Dietary Variability among Prehistoric Forager- Farmers of Eastern North America. Current Anthropology 37: 529–539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hattori, E. 1975 Preliminary Pollen Analysis: Myoma Dunes Coprolites. Manuscript on file at the Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. C. 1986 Plant Foods in Ancient Diet: The Archaeological Role of Palaeofaeces in General and Lindow Man's Gut Contents in Particular. In Lindow Man: The Body in the Bog, edited by Stead, I. M., Bourke, J. B., and Brothwell, D., pp. 99–115. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. C. 1989 Late Palaeolithic Plant Foods from Wadi Kubbaniya in Upper Egypt: Dietary Diversity, Infant Weaning, and Seasonality in a Riverine Environment. In Foraging and Farming: The Evolution of Plant Exploitation, edited by Harris, D. R. and Hillman, G.C. pp. 207–239. Unwin Hyman, London.Google Scholar
Hillman, G. C, Madeyska, E., and Hather, J. 1989 Wild Plant Foods and Diet at Late Paleolithic Wadi Kubbaniya: The Evidence from Charred Remains. In The Prehistory of Wadi Kubbaniya: Stratigraphy, Paleoeconomy, and Environment, vol. 2, assembled and edited by Wendorf, F., Schild, R., and Close, A. E., pp. 162–242. Southern Methodist University, Dallas.Google Scholar
Holden, T. G. 1991 Evidence of Prehistoric Diet from Northern Chile: Coprolites, Gut Contents and Rotation Samples from the Tulan Quebrada. World Archaeology 22: 320–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holden, T. G. 1994 Dietary Evidence from the Intestinal Contents of Ancient Humans with Particular Reference to Desiccated Remains from Northern Chile. In Tropical Archaeobotany: Applications and New Developments, edited by Hather, J. G., pp. 65–85. Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Jones, A. K. G. 1986 Fish Bone Survival in the Digestive Systems of the Pig, Dog and Man: Some Experiments. In Fish and Archaeology: Studies in Osteometry, Taphonomy, Seasonality and Fishing Methods, edited by Brinkhuizen, D. C. and Clason, A.T. pp. 53–61. BAR International Series 294. British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.Google Scholar
Jones, J. G. 1988 Middle to Late Preceramic (6000-3000 BP) Subsistence Patterns on the Central Coast of Peru: The Coprolite Evidence. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University, College Station.Google Scholar
Lawton, H. W, and Bean, L. J. 1968 A Preliminary Reconstruction of Aboriginal Agricultural Technology among the Cahuilla. Indian Historian 1(5): 18–24, 29.Google Scholar
McGinnis, S. M. 1984 Freshwater Fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.Google Scholar
Matson, R. G., and Chisholm, B. 1991 Basketmaker II Subsistence: Carbon Isotopes and Other Dietary Indicators from Cedar Mesa, Utah. American Antiquity 56: 444–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moyle, P. B. 1976 Inland Fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley.Google Scholar
Munz, P. A. 1974 A Flora of Southern California. University of California Press, Berkeley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Munz, P. A., and Keck, D. D. 1949 California Plant Communities. ElAliso 2: 87–105.Google Scholar
Munz, P. A., and Keck, D. D. 1950 California Plant Communities—A Supplement. El Aliso 2: 199–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Napton, L. K. 1969 The Lacustrine Subsistence Pattern in the Desert West. In Archaeological and Paleobiological Investigations in Lovelock Cave, Nevada, edited by Heizer, R. F. and Napton, L.K. pp. 28–97. Special Publication No. 2. Kroeber Anthropological Society, Berkeley, California.Google Scholar
Newman, M. E., Yohe, R. M. II, Ceri, H., and Sutton, M. Q. 1993 Immunological Protein Residue Analysis of Non-lithic Archaeological Materials. Journal of Archaeological Science 20: 93–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reinhard, K. J., and Bryant, V. M., Jr. 1992 Coprolite Analysis: A Biological Perspective on Archaeology. In Archaeological Method and Theory, vol. 4, edited by Schiffer, M. B., pp. 245–288. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.Google Scholar
Reinhard, K. J., Hamilton, D. L., and Hevly, R. H. 1991 Use of Pollen Concentration in Paleopharmacology: Coprolite Evidence of Medicinal Plants. Journal of Ethnobiology 11: 117–134.Google Scholar
Robins, D., Sales, K., Oduwole, D., Holden, T., and Hillman, G. 1986 Postscript: Last Minute Results from ESR Spectroscopy Concerning the Cooking of Lindow Man's Last Meal. In Lindow Man: The Body in the Bog, edited by Stead, I. M., Bourke, J. B., and Brothwell, D., pp. 140–142. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.Google Scholar
Rylander, K. A. 1994 Corn Preparation among the Basketmaker Anasazi: A Scanning Electron Microscope Study of Zea Mays Remains from Coprolites. In Paleonutrition: The Diet and Health of Prehistoric Americans, edited by Sobolik, K. D., pp. 115–133. Occasional Paper No. 22. Center for Archaeological Investigations, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.Google Scholar
Schaefer, J. 1994 The Challenge of Archaeological Research in the Colorado Desert: Recent Approaches and Discoveries. Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 16: 60–80.Google Scholar
Shreve, F, and Wiggins, I. L. 1964 Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert, 2 vols. Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, California.Google Scholar
Sobolik, K. D. 1988 The Importance of Pollen Concentration Values from Coprolites: An Analysis of Southwest Texas Samples. Palynology 12: 201–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sobolik, K. D. 1990 A Nutritional Analysis of Diet as Revealed in Prehistoric Human Coprolites. Texas Journal of Science 42: 23–36.Google Scholar
Sobolik, K. D., and Gerick, D. J. 1992 Prehistoric Medicinal Plant Usage: A Case Study from Coprolites. Journal of Ethnobiology 12: 203–211.Google Scholar
Sobolik, K. D., and Gerick, D. J. 1996 Sex Determination of Prehistoric Human Paleofeces. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 101: 283–290.3.0.CO;2-W>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sutton, M. Q. 1988 CA-RIV-1179: Site Description, Research Focus, Field Method, Stratigraphy, Features, and Dating. In Archaeological Investigations at CA-RIV-1179, CA-RIV-2823, and CA-RIV-2827, La Quinta, Salton Basin, Southeastern California, edited by Sutton, M. Q. and Wilke, P.J. pp. 37–52. Archives of California Prehistory No. 20. Coyote Press, Salinas, California.Google Scholar
Sutton, M. Q. 1993 Midden and Coprolite Derived Subsistence Evidence: An Analysis of Data from the La Quinta Site, Salton Basin, California. Journal of Ethnobiology 13: 1–15.Google Scholar
Sutton, M. Q., and Reinhard, K. J. 1995 Cluster Analysis of the Coprolites from Antelope House: Implications for Anasazi Diet and Cuisine. Journal of Archaeological Science 22: 741–750.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, M. Q., and Wilke, P. J. (editors) 1988 Archaeological Investigations at CA-RIV-1179, CARIV-2823, and CA-RIV-2827, La Quinta, Salton Basin, Southeastern California. Archives of California Prehistory No. 20. Coyote Press, Salinas, California.Google Scholar
Sutton, M. Q., Malik, M., and Ogram, A. 1996 Experiments on the Determination of Gender from Coprolites by DNA Analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 23: 263–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, M. Q., and Yohe II, R. M. 1988 Terrestrial and Avian Faunal Remains from CA-RIV-1179. In Archaeological Investigations at CA-RIV-1179, CA-RIV-2823, and CA-RIV-2827, La Quinta, Salton Basin, Southeastern California, edited by Sutton, M. Q. and Wilke, P.J. pp. 103–117. Archives of California Prehistory No. 20. Coyote Press, Salinas, California.Google Scholar
Sutton, M. Q., and Yohe II, R. M. 1986 Proceedings of the XIII International Congress of Nutrition: 1985. John Libbey, London.Google Scholar
Trigg, H. B., Ford, R. I., Moore, J. G., and Jessop, L. D. 1994 Coprolite Evidence for Prehistoric Foodstuffs, Condiments, and Medicines. In Eating on the Wild Side: The Pharmacologic, Ecological, and Social Implications of Using Noncultigens, edited by Etkin, N. L., pp. 210–223. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.Google Scholar
Wales, S., and Evans, J. 1988 New Possibilities of Obtaining Archaeological Information from Coprolites. In Science and Archaeology, Glasgow 1987, edited by Slater, E. A. and Tate, J.O. pp. 403–112. BAR International Series 196 (2 vols.). British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.Google Scholar
Wallace, W. J. 1978 The Chuckwalla: A Death Valley Indian Food. The Journal of California Anthropology 5: 109–113.Google Scholar
Watson, P. J. 1974 Theoretical and Methodological Difficulties in Dealing with Paleofecal Material. In Archaeology of the Mammoth Cave Area, edited by Watson, P. J., pp. 239–241. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Wilke, P. J. 1978 Late Prehistoric Human Ecology at Lake Cahuilla, Coachella Valley, California. Contributions of the Archaeological Research Facility No. 38. University of California, Berkeley.Google Scholar
Wilke, P. J., and Lawton, H. W. 1975 Early Observations on the Cultural Geography of Coachella Valley. In The Cahuilla Indians of the Colorado Desert: Ethnohistory and Prehistory, Part I, pp. 9–43. Anthropological Papers No. 3. Ballena Press, Ramona, California.Google Scholar
Wilke, P. J., and Sutton, M. Q. 1988 Summary and Inferences. In Archaeological Investigations at CA-RIV-1179, CA-RIV-2823, and CARIV-2827, La Quinta, Salton Basin, Southeastern California, edited by Sutton, M. Q. and Wilke, P.J. pp. 157–164. Coyote Press Archives of California Prehistory No. 20, Salinas, California.Google Scholar
Yarnell, R. A. 1969 Contents of Human Paleofeces. In The Prehistory of Salts Cave, Kentucky, edited by Watson, P. J., pp. 41–54. Report of Investigations No. 16. Illinois State Museum, Springfield.Google Scholar
Yarnell, R. A. 1974 Plant Food Cultivation of the Salts Cavers. In Archaeology of the Mammoth Cave Area, edited by Watson, P. J., pp. 113–122. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Yohe, R. M. II 1990 Archaeological Investigations at Five Sites Located at One Eleven La Quinta Center in the City of La Quinta, Central Riverside County, California. Submitted to the Archaeological Research Unit, University of California, Riverside. Copies available from the Eastern Archaeological Information Center, University of California, Riverside.Google Scholar