Abstract
There are certain animal candidates for which researchers have long speculated as having been managed, or possibly domesticated, by indigenous peoples in the pre-Columbian Caribbean, the primary candidate being some members of a group of caviomorph rodents known as hutia (Capromyinae). This study comprises an isotopic and morphological investigation of the potential management of an extinct species endemic to Hispaniola, the Puerto Rican hutia (Isolobodon portoricensis). For comparisons, isotopic analysis was conducted of bone collagen samples examining carbon (∂13Cco) and nitrogen (∂15N) values of I. portoricensis with two other species of endemic hutia, guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), Antillean slider (Trachemys stejnegeri), rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta) and edible rat (Brotomys sp.) from four sites in the Dominican Republic: El Flaco, El Carril, El Cabo and La Entrada. This data was compared to human and dog collagen values available from El Flaco to assess similarities between these groups. Osteometric data was recorded for hutia mandibles, allowing for body mass estimations (n = 230). The findings suggest that some Isolobodon portoricensis specimens possessed carbon (δ13Cco) values similar to humans and dogs at El Flaco, possibly associated with the consumption of agriculturally produced maize. This research does not indicate whether domestication or management of this species was occurring, at least not in a systematic way. Concurrence with palaeoenvironmental and zooarchaeological data from the region in which El Flaco and El Carril are located indicate that indigenous agricultural practices may have affected populations of hutia, perhaps by attracting them and supporting them within anthropogenic mosaic landscapes. The data also suggests that some degree of either purposeful feeding or scavenging from human agricultural plots was occurring and supports some degree of commensalism between humans and Puerto Rican hutia at these sites.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 102913 |
Pages (from-to) | 1-16 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |
Volume | 37 |
Early online date | 24 Mar 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:There are no conflicts of interest regarding the financing of this research or in the authoring of this paper. This results of this research form part of the project entitled “Human-animal entanglements on the eve of Columbus’ landfall: a study of indigenous animal husbandry practices in the island of Hispaniola” funded by the NWO PhDs in the Humanities grant (2018–2022). The final form of this paper would not have been possible without the helpful and constructive comments from the anonymous reviewers, so we are graciously indebted to them. Special thanks go to Sr. Juan Almonte and the Museo de Historía Natural, Santo Domingo for assistance in identifying endemic Hispaniolan fauna, to the Museo del Hombre Dominicano and the Ministerio de Cultura, República Dominicana for allowing access to sites and materials. Simone Casale is acknowledged for assistance in the generation of figures. Samples were provided as part of the ERC-Synergy NEXUS1492 project (gr, agreement Nr. 319209), which carried out the excavations at El Flaco and El Carril and which received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme. The El Cabo samples were collected as part of the NWO project Houses for the Living and the Dead (gr. Nr. 360-62-030). Thanks goes to Arq. Juan I. Tineo and the Museo del Hombre Dominicano for inviting the NEXUS team to collaborate in the La Entrada salvage study. All collagen extraction was conducted at the Leiden University Faculty of Archaeology. Thanks goes to Suzan Verdegaal-Warmerdam and the Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, for providing access to their lab facilities.
Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) (PhD in the Humanities project PGW.18.015), and the European Research Council (NEXUS1492 project, ERC-Synergy grant: 319209).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s)
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Funding
There are no conflicts of interest regarding the financing of this research or in the authoring of this paper. This results of this research form part of the project entitled “Human-animal entanglements on the eve of Columbus’ landfall: a study of indigenous animal husbandry practices in the island of Hispaniola” funded by the NWO PhDs in the Humanities grant (2018–2022). The final form of this paper would not have been possible without the helpful and constructive comments from the anonymous reviewers, so we are graciously indebted to them. Special thanks go to Sr. Juan Almonte and the Museo de Historía Natural, Santo Domingo for assistance in identifying endemic Hispaniolan fauna, to the Museo del Hombre Dominicano and the Ministerio de Cultura, República Dominicana for allowing access to sites and materials. Simone Casale is acknowledged for assistance in the generation of figures. Samples were provided as part of the ERC-Synergy NEXUS1492 project (gr, agreement Nr. 319209), which carried out the excavations at El Flaco and El Carril and which received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme. The El Cabo samples were collected as part of the NWO project Houses for the Living and the Dead (gr. Nr. 360-62-030). Thanks goes to Arq. Juan I. Tineo and the Museo del Hombre Dominicano for inviting the NEXUS team to collaborate in the La Entrada salvage study. All collagen extraction was conducted at the Leiden University Faculty of Archaeology. Thanks goes to Suzan Verdegaal-Warmerdam and the Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, for providing access to their lab facilities. This work was supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) (PhD in the Humanities project PGW.18.015), and the European Research Council (NEXUS1492 project, ERC-Synergy grant: 319209).
Funders | Funder number |
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ERC-Synergy | |
NWO PhDs in the Humanities | 319209 |
European Research Council | NEXUS1492 |
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek | PGW.18.015 |
Seventh Framework Programme |
Keywords
- Caribbean zooarchaeology
- Commensalism
- Garden hunting
- Isotopic analysis
- Osteometrics