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Results of Instrument Neutron-Activation Trace-Element Analysis of Human Remains from the Naknek Region, Southwest Alaska

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

R. K. Harritt  and
S. C. Radosevich
R. K. Harritt
Affiliation:
National Park Service, 2525 Gambell St., Anchorage, AK 99503-2892
S. C. Radosevich
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
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Abstract

An attempt to replicate results of a previous dietary trace-element study of northwestern Alaska (Connor and Slaughter 1984) was made with human- and animal-bone samples from the Naknek region, southwest Alaska. Trace elements of special interest are strontium and zinc because of previously postulated relation of abundances of these elements to marine and terrestrial dietary foci in human remains from archaeological sites (i.e., Nelson et al. 1986; Schoeninger and Peebles 1981). Related objectives were to develop evidence supporting Harritt's (1988) proposal for the existence of separate late prehistoric inland and coastal social and territorial entities in the region, which would be reflected as a dichotomy of trace levels in human bone; differences in abundances of strontium and zinc trace elements in bones representing each group should reflect diets based on either terrestrial fauna and plants or largely of marine sea mammals and shellfish. We find that there are no characteristic trace-element patterns for differentiating historic and late prehistoric coastal or interior inhabitants of the Alaska Peninsula, in spite of historic and archaeological evidence that indicates that such patterns should be present. This lack of patterning is traced to an erroneous assumption made initially by the present authors, and by Connor and Slaughter (1984): Because 99 percent of all digested Sr is deposited in the skeleton of vertebrates (including marine), there is no direct correlation between Sr content of human bones and the proportion of sea-mammal or teleost consumption in the prehistoric human diet.

Resumen

Resumen

Se intentó replicar los resultados de un estudio de dieta en el noroeste de Alaska mediante elementos-rastro (Connor and Slaughter 1984) utilizando muestras de huesos humanos y de animates provenientes de la región de Naknek, suroeste de Alaska. El estroncio y el zinc son elementos-rastro de especial interés, dadas las relaciones postuladas entre la abundancia de estos elementos y la orientación marina o terrestre de la dieta en restos humanos procedentes de sitios arqueológicos (i.e., Nelson et al. 1986; Schoeninger and Peebles 1981). Otro objetivofue el desarrollar la evidencia parafundamentar la propuesta de Harritt (1988) sobre la existencia de entidades sociales y territoriales separadas en la costa y tierra adentro durante los últimos períodos de la prehistoria. Tal situación se manifestaría como una dicotomía en los niveles de rastros en los huesos humanos; diferencias en la abundancia de estroncio y zinc en los huesos representatives de cada grupo deberían reflejar dietas basadas en fauna y plantas terrestres, oprincipalmente en mamíferos marinos y mariscos. Encontramos que no existenpatrones característicos de elementos-rastro que permitan diferenciar habitantes históricos o prehistóricos de la costa y del interior en la Penísula de Alaska, a pesar de la existencia de evidencias históricos y arqueológicos que indican que tales patrones deberían estar presentes. La ausencia de patrones se explica con referenda a un supuesto erróneo del que partieron los presentes autores, así como Connor y Slaughter (1984). Dado que 99 porciento de todo el estroncio digerido se deposita en el esqueleto de los vertebrados (incluyendo vertebrados marinos), no existe ninguna correlatión directa entre el contenido de Sr de los huesos humanos y la proporción de mamíferos marinos o teleosteos consumidos en la dieta humana prehistórica.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , April 1992 , pp. 288 - 299
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1992

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