Explaining subsistence change in southern New Zealand using foraging theory models

Nagaoka, Lisa

doi:10.1080/00438240220134278

Cited by 75 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Land birds, seabirds, nesting turtles, reptiles, bats, and other native vertebrates were easy targets, exploited to the extent that they now serve as critical markers of colonizing sites (e.g., Anderson 1994, Steadman 2006. In the main, reliance on these fauna was unsustainable, and intensive harvesting rapidly led to numerous extinctions (e.g., Steadman et al 1994, Anderson 1997, Nagaoka 2002a, Steadman 2006. Other prey were ''depressed'' (sensu Charnov et al 1976), slowly reduced to economically unproductive and demographically unstable levels (e.g., Butler 2001, Allen 2002, McAlister 2002, Nagaoka 2002b, Morrison and Hunt 2007.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Polynesian Subsistence: Insights from Archaeofauna and Stable Isotope Studies, Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

Allen

Craig

2009

Pacific Science

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Human colonists of Remote Oceania readily took advantage of the naive virgin fauna encountered on previously uninhabited islands, a bounty that was quickly depleted. Subsequent developments in Polynesian subsistence economies were more subtle, varied, and complex. These features are illustrated in a comparison of two quite different subsistence archives from the postcolonization period: archaeofaunal assemblages and stable isotope (d 13 C and d 15 N) records of humans, pigs, and dogs from the same archaeological contexts. The samples come from four stratified sites, with a total of 22 distinct occupational strata that represent a 600-year period on the small (18.4 km 2 ) almost-atoll of Aitutaki in the southern Cook Islands. Benefits and challenges of integrating these quite different records are considered in the context of specific findings, with implications for subsistence studies elsewhere. In particular, differences in formation processes, taxonomic resolution, and contrasting spatial and temporal scales represented by each record are highlighted. A complex, multiscalar picture of subsistence change emerges, showing variability within and across the three species and the two subsistence archives. Findings support prior interpretations that established (not colonial) settlements are represented by the currently known Aitutaki archaeological record. Within the relatively stable and largely anthropogenic food web, humans occupy a central position throughout the sequence. Through time, a reduction in fishing and decreased consumption of marine carnivores is indicated; these changes are likely to be an outcome of both repeated storm events and considerable shoreline disruption in the fourteenth century A.D., and cultural decisions about the relative costs and benefits of various fishing activities vis-à-vis other subsistence needs. An apparent reduction in variability of pig diets in late prehistory could reflect interspecific competition between pigs and their human managers, although small sample sizes constrain interpretations. Overall, use of two quite different subsistence archives provides a more robust, but also more complex, view of subsistence change across individuals and communities on Aitutaki.

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confidence: 99%

Dynamics of Polynesian Subsistence: Insights from Archaeofauna and Stable Isotope Studies, Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

Allen

Craig

2009

Pacific Science

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“…Zooarchaeologists have applied models derived from optimal foraging theory to the vertebrate and invertebrate faunal assemblages recovered from archaeological sites (Broughton 2002;Jones 2004;Madsen 1993;Madsen and Schmitt 1998;Nagaoka 2002;Speth 1991;Stiner 2002;Stiner et al 2000). Beyond the focus on the faunal assemblages of archaeological sites and the use of optimal foraging theory, there is little common ground in these articles.…”

Section: Applications Of Optimal Foraging Theory In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some are concerned with the evolution of modern humans and the broad-spectrum revolution (Stiner 2002;Stiner et al 2000), while others focus on issues of protein selection (Speth 1991). Some studies utilize data to evaluate hypotheses (Nagaoka 2002), while others utilize data to refine and test the models (Broughton 2002;Jones 2004).…”

Section: Applications Of Optimal Foraging Theory In Archaeologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing diet and seasonality in the Lower Pecos canyonlands: an evaluation of coprolite specimens as records of individual dietary decisions

Riley

2012

Journal of Archaeological Science

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were not readily available and may be considered a dependable but undesirable meal.The second menu consists of pit-baked lechuguilla (Agave lechuguilla) and sotol (Dasylirion sp.) caudices, or hearts, common throughout the cool season. This menu entails high processing costs, but would provide a reliable caloric return. The third menu exhibits a monolithic reliance on prickly pear fruits, or tunas, during the summer.The ease of harvest and consumption is reflected in the seasonal dominance of this resource, which was assuredly a highly desirable meal. The dietary patterns recorded in the coprolite specimens from the Lower Pecos canyonlands demonstrate a seasonally variable diet-breadth that incorporated low-ranked resources during times of seasonal scarcity as well as a monolithic dependence on high-ranked resources when they were available in the local landscape.

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“…For example at Lake Te Anau, Kereru, Kaka, and Kakariki were targeted (Anderson & McGovernWilson 1991). Similarly, at Shag River Mouth, despite more than 49 identified taxa, the initial focus was on blue penguins and shags, a pattern that gave way to an emphasis on New Zealand Quail in the later part of the sequence (McGovern-Wilson et al 1996;Nagaoka 2002). Even systematic harvesting of seabirds such as Puffinus griseus, once thought to be of recent origin, is now known to have a considerable antiquity in the Foveaux Strait region (Anderson 1996(Anderson , 2001.…”

Section: Implications For Maori Prehistorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The species used and the relative importance of birds have, however, varied considerably over time (Anderson 1983;Nagaoka 2002;Smith 2004). During the early occupation period (ca.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Archaeological avifauna of Harataonga, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand: implications for avian palaeontology, Maori prehistory, and archaeofaunal recovery techniques

Allen

Holdaway

2010

Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

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A recent analysis of archaeological bird remains from Harataonga Bay, Great Barrier Island is reported and compared with a prior study conducted in the 1960s. The assemblages come from two Maori occupations, one dating to ca. fourteenth century AD and the other to late prehistory. The new study identifies several previously unreported species for Harataonga, and the first record of prehistoric Maori use of Black Petrel or Taiko (Procellaria parkinsoni), and possibly Pycroft's Petrel (Pterodroma pycrofti). The assemblages are dominated by seabirds, a common pattern for the South Island but unusual for more northern areas, where forest birds are typically better represented. The limited forest birds are concentrated in the early occupation. Combining the two studies broadens our understanding of past species distributions on Great Barrier Island, and Maori use of these resources over time. Analytically, comparison of the two studies, one conducted some time ago, demonstrates the impact of fine-mesh sieves and in-lab processing on the observed assemblage size, composition, and diversity.

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Explaining subsistence change in southern New Zealand using foraging theory models

Cited by 75 publications

References 35 publications

Dynamics of Polynesian Subsistence: Insights from Archaeofauna and Stable Isotope Studies, Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

Dynamics of Polynesian Subsistence: Insights from Archaeofauna and Stable Isotope Studies, Aitutaki, Southern Cook Islands

Assessing diet and seasonality in the Lower Pecos canyonlands: an evaluation of coprolite specimens as records of individual dietary decisions

Archaeological avifauna of Harataonga, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand: implications for avian palaeontology, Maori prehistory, and archaeofaunal recovery techniques

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