Gloryhole, Ohio State Campus

SOME THOUGHTS ON DIET ... (Part Three)

Santiago F. Silva Garcia (1)
Reynaldo Pérez Jiménez (2)

Orlando Alvarez de la Paz (3)

Leonardo Rojas Pérez (4)

(1) Degree in Physics
amateur archaeologist.

(2) Degree in History
amateur archaeologist.
(3) Plant Engineering

amateur archaeologist.

(4) degree in biology.

DISCUSSION

analysis of the remains of the diet emphasize that mullet (Mugil sp ) must be the most common species is vulnerable to fishing gear and methods that are used by the Aborigines of the water intake.

José M Guarch Delmonte says that Las Casas noted in port or Jagua Cienfuegos, Cuba, the rounding up of many flat in pens made of reeds kneeling next to each other, "where their nets they wanted and drew the other dejábanlas of how to take it into a pool or pond ."

All species identified, from skeletal remains, have neritic habits, or who frequent the strip of water that is close to the coast, on the platform; also should be noted that species such as snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus ) and as the red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus ) are typical of mangrove and other costs as the common snook (Centropomus undecimalis ) live in estuaries and river rivers.

Today we can see that with the exception of snapper and barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda ), the rest of the species above the river Zaza back to the foothills of the Assumption Water.

The finding of SKIMMERS network with the rest of the material, demonstrates the use of such gear in this type of economic activity.

It

overwhelming quantity of bones of marine turtles and especially green turtle (Chelonia midas ), an issue that it can be stated that this reptile is another favorite food of this community.

A method which referred to Fernandez de Oviedo, quoted by Joseph M. Guarch, is the use by Aboriginal fish paste or trailer, which were tied by the tail and throwing him overboard clinging or sticking it in a short time a fish or turtle. This method is applied experimentally in Cuba by Nicasio Viña, proving that it is effective only for small specimens, since in most cases showed the tail or the fish itself.

As is known, marine turtle nest on the sandy parts of the coast and beaches. On this basis, the capture of these animals must be done, if they use the first method, at some distance from the mouth of Zaza. Here, the coast is typical mangroves. However, far from it, are conducive to spawning areas, as is the case of the keys located on the southern coast of Sancti Spiritus and near the province of Ciego de Avila.

In most of the sites in our country the number of skeletal remains of turtles is negligible, presuming that they were killed along the coast and part of the meat being transported to the site room. That is why it is interesting that the site of Water Takes appear as abundant skeletal remains of marine turtles (bone and shell fragments). "This is a new special, yet not common in other parts of the country. "

is good to note that several bones collected in the excavation area, have appreciable signs incised as cuts, which had to be produced to carve these animals during their preparation.

Regarding mammals, jutías Capromys gender, and Boromys Geocapromys . also include dietary elements, although lesser extent than fish and turtles, this is not necessarily an indication that this activity was rare, since most of these jutías, the Capromys pilorides Say, could supply up to 3160 g of meat, which represents 70 % of total body weight, which is a good source of animal protein.

Given the characteristics of the site, its location just 18 km to the south coast and the presence of bony evidence of Manti ( Trichechus manatus) is very possible that this animal up until the vicinity of the settlement dating back Zaza River from its mouth.

For Aboriginal communities, river manatee hunting is an important event, surely subsistencial activity performed with great joy, since the capture of one of these great adult mammals results in ownership of more than 450 kg of food first class.

Univalves shellfish harvesting ( gastropods) and bivalves (pelecypods ), though not abundant, is another activity economic imperative for the low complexity of the same and present, however, a high variety of specimens. It is obvious that, given the relative proximity of the mangroves, including marine and terrestrial molluscs the highest percent that corresponds to the first collection.

Another motivation, perhaps, is the use of the shell as a working instrument or tool, so it is with the leaflets of the orbicularis Codakia , which tracks presented in full Working for use as scrapers or scaly.

The only specimen of Tellina radiata that is collected, there is also obvious signs of wear on the periphery of the lip of the shell, so that is clearly indicative of their employment in work processes that mentioned above.

is suggestive that the existence of four points obtained from the columella of Strombus gigas (conch), which are collected together with the remains of diet. These are part of the artifact that is used in food preparation, as well as scrapers and several roughing Codakia coral.

About

of those points, Ramón Dacal Moure and Manuel Rivero de la Calle, in his work Aboriginal Archaeology of Cuba, state that "they are manifestations of a puncture used in industry, perhaps in other mollusks such as open berries, and oysters. "

This allows wield the view that these tips have been used for this purpose, which would explain the fact that the shells of bivalves appear intact, ie not fragmented after separation.

shellfish collection is not free and complementary economic activity in the rest of the work subsistenciales being developed by this community.

The blue crab ( Cardisoma guanhumi ) and red crab ( Geocarcinus ruricola ) must be presumed, other dietary components, further expanding the possibilities of a balance protein in the diet.

crutáceos Referring to consumption by the aborigines, Ramón Dacal Moure and Manuel Rivero de la Calle say:

[...] Following an old tradition, continued agroalfarero consuming large amounts of crabs, which have been found in different species of Wastewalker this phase.

can now observe the presence of specimens of land crabs, and also called crab (Callinectes , sp) site near the water intake and this surrounding area.

mangrove area and the riverbank Zaza also favor the incorporation of our bird species to the diet of this community. Show eloquent as the presence of a not very significant number of bird bones in the skeletal remains of the diet studied.

The bitter cassava (Manihot esculenta , Grantz ) to obtain the traditional cassava is demonstrated by the presence of large fragments Buren, terracotta artifacts which manufactured or processed food such.

The domestication of other plants and their incorporation in the diet leads to a greater availability of nutrients in the diet of human group that sits in the water supply,

José M.

Guarch Delmonte, regarding the ways in which Aboriginal people conduct their economic activities, the following categorization:

. Marina coastline, shoreline to 10 m deep.

. Navy deep: deeper than 10 m (usually on the platform submerged).

. Land coast, shoreline to 10 m inland.

. Terrestrial Inner inland over 500 m from the coast.

Following this address the deep-sea activity runs profusely, being less frequent. This not only follows the almost total lack of specimens involved in this mode, but also by the shallowness of the southern coast in the area surrounding the river mouth to an appreciable Zaza from the coast.

According the form of ownership of each species, there are three economic activities subsistenciales: gathering, hunting and fishing, which are represented in the water supply in different media, they are carried out. For gathering and hunting, marine, terrestrial, coastal, land and inland waterways. For fishing, coastal and inland marine.

human activity in search of food of animal origin such as lying down Joseph M. Guarch Delmonte and Agustin Vazquez Mestre: in sandy soil, littoral, sublittoral zone, abyssal zone, an area of \u200b\u200briver water, forested plain relief Xeric and atmosphere.

CONCLUSIONS

the analysis and study of material from the excavation site area # 2 of Water Takes is can infer what is set out below:

-stratigraphic layers are fertile (present evidence) of 0.50 m to 1.70 m deep, with the exception of level 1 , 40 m - 1.50 m depth, which are not detected evidence. The latter allows to interpret the occupation area is abandoned for a period of time.

-fish, turtles and mollusks are present at all levels of the excavation, not behaving the same way crustaceans and birds, absent at levels 3, 5 and 6. Moreover, these two latter groups and the remains of mammals are underrepresented throughout the excavation.

-From this it follows that the activities of fishing and gathering are practiced with the highest incidence and hunting of birds, mammals and lizards were relegated to certain times. Perhaps this will answer in the case of birds, to intricate woodland vegetation which greatly hindered the free movement and dinosaurs for habitat on the coast, features not conducive to these animals are very abundant in the coastal area surroundings. In addition to the resistance presented by these specimens to the hunt.

"In the low abundance of crustacean remains may have influenced the decline that must endure both the blue crab ( Cardisoma guanhumi ) as well as the crab from its proximity to river habitat community, in addition to the preference perhaps other animal groups that provided a larger number of gram-meat, the most accurate possible view of the negligible presence of such remnants in the area of \u200b\u200boccupation. The collection is not the exception in any area of \u200b\u200bhuman activity.

"Not just as for hunting and fishing, which focuses, for the first-in terrestrial and coastal and land for second place in the river environment . The collection activity is justified by the relative ease with which it runs, with little resistance on the part of those animals (Present in the diet), but fishing should influence factors that correspond to the richness of species in these ecosystems.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

. Alonso Alonso, Enrique (1999): Archaeological studies of food waste, in: Archaeology Cuba and other West Indian areas, Editorial Academia, La Habana, Cuba.

. Borde, Mario (1966): Dictionary of common names of vertebrates Cubans, Editorial Academia, La Habana, Cuba.

. Pino Rodriguez Milton (1978): Considerations about dietary elements Levisa site, Mayarí, in: Archaeological Cuba, Editorial Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

. Silva García, Santiago, Reinaldo Pérez Jiménez and Orlando Álvarez de la Paz (1993): Incidents of activities in Aboriginal communities subsistenciales Toma de Agua, La Sierpe, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba (unpublished).

. Silva García, Santiago, Reinaldo Pérez Jiménez and Orlando Álvarez de la Paz (1996): Interdependence subsistenciales biotic areas and activities from the study of faunal remains (unpublished).

. Silva García, Santiago, Reinaldo Pérez Jiménez, Orlando Alvarez de la Paz and Marcos Rodríguez Matamoros (2002): The Neolithic site of water intake, La Sierpe, Sancti Spiritus, Cuba (unpublished). Copyright


: Santiago F. Silva Reinaldo García Pérez Jiménez

Orlando Alvarez de la Paz Pérez Rojas Leonardo


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Creative Commons .

email: aguilasdeanaga@gmail.com