Comparing Faunal Remains and Subsistence Technology at CA-SMI-507: A 9,000-Year-Old Paleocoastal Shell Midden on San Miguel Island, California

Abstract

ABSTRACT Data from many early California shell middens suggest that shellfish and plant foods were economic staples that provided early coastal people with a balanced diet rich in calories and complete proteins. Along the mainland coast, fish, land mammals, sea mammals, and birds were all exploited by early foragers, but the dominance of shellfish and plant foods is supported by both faunal and artifact assemblages. Faunal remains from most early Channel Island sites confirm this pattern, but most reconstructions have been based on small samples in which artifacts and vertebrate remains are often poorly represented. We examine human subsistence at CA-SMI-507, a ∼9,000-year-old shell midden where our test excavations and intensive surface collections recovered samples of artifacts and faunal debris. The faunal remains are dominated by shellfish remains, but numerous bifaces from the site suggest a substantial investment in hunting activities not represented in midden samples. When studying early island sites, archaeologists need to excavate larger samples to effectively evaluate faunal and artifactual evidence for the importance of marine fishing and sea mammal hunting.