Ancient DNA evidence for the regional trade of bear paws by Chinese diaspora communities in 19th-century western North America

Abstract

This study presents the results of ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of a bear paw bone recovered from the Market Street Chinatown, a 19th-century Chinese community in San José, California. This analysis reveals that this bone derived from a Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) sharing genetic markers found only in Brown Bear populations living in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia, Canada. These data indicate regional trade of bear paws in 19th-century western North America, and they challenge previous archaeological models of Chinese diaspora food supply that primarily emphasize local and international food sources at the expense of regional trade. These results show that aDNA analysis can make important contributions to understanding the trade of wild animal products such as bear paws. Further, this study demonstrates the potential for historical archaeological analyses to contribute new knowledge about the trade of animals to the understanding of recent, well-documented time periods.