Looking for Fish of the Right Age: Developing Predictive Modeling for Submerged Sites Using GIS, Salmon Genetics, and the Human Ecology of Salmon
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Jon Krier for the degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology presented on April 2, 2018. Title: Looking for Fish of the Right Age: Developing Predictive Modeling for Submerged Sites Using GIS, Salmon Genetics, and the Human Ecology of Salmon Abstract approved: ______________________________________________________ Andrew Gerkey Abstract A major challenge to the study of the peopling of the Americas is that much of the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia), the geographic area that people migrating from Northeast Asia into North America would presumably have passed through, is now submerged due to sea-level rise since the last glacial maximum. The scale of this submerged land mass further adds to the challenge of how to search for archaeological evidence of the human migration. This thesis proposes an approach to submerged site discovery in Beringia intended to reduce the total area that needs to be considered in a predictive model by focusing on a key resource, salmon. The cultural importance of salmon to Indigenous peoples across the North Pacific is broadly acknowledged, and increasingly, that importance is being incorporated into hypotheses regarding the peopling of the Americas. The concept of salmon as a “magnet” resource is used here as a way to prioritize submerged areas for further analysis toward a predictive site discovery model. This paper incorporates studies of modern salmon DNA, ethnography, archaeology, and geo- spatial analyses into the preliminary phases of a predictive model. The framework of the Danish Model (Benjamin 2010) for submerged site discovery is adapted here for Beringia. The analyses discussed here are aimed at identifying areas within the larger region that would be suitable for further phase III and IV investigation. ©Copyright by Jon Krier April 2, 2018 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Looking for Fish of the Right Age: Developing Predictive Modeling for Submerged Sites Using GIS, Salmon Genetics, and the Human Ecology of Salmon by Jon Krier A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Presented April 2, 2018 Commencement June 2018 Master of Arts thesis of Jon Krier presented on April 2, 2018 APPROVED: Major Professor, representing Applied Anthropology Director of the School of Language Culture and Society Dean of the Graduate School I understand that my thesis will become part of the permanent collection of Oregon State University libraries. My signature below authorizes release of my thesis to any reader upon request. Jon Krier, Author ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the members of my thesis committee. Thanks to Dr. Drew Gerkey, who has been an invaluable guide through my graduate school process and who provided me with thoughtful feedback on the introduction and conclusion sections. Thanks to Dr. Loren Davis, who challenged me to operationalize several concepts important to this study. Thanks to Dr. Robert Kennedy who has advised me in my GIS studies. Also, thanks to Dr. Urszula Iwaniec for completing my committee. Thanks to Dr. Briece Edwards for helping me develop my approach to archaeology in ways that incorporate traditional knowledge. I would also like to thank the professors who have been key to my development as a scholar. Dr. Daphne Gallagher, Dr. Pamela Endzweig, Dr. Madonna Moss, Dr. Jon Erlandson, Dr. Gyoung-Ah Lee, Dr. Diane Baxter, Dr. Stephen Dueppen, Dr. Patrick O’Grady, and Dr. Dennis Jenkins have each offered their support, guidance, and inspiration. Thank you all for guiding me on this path. Thanks to Elizabeth Kallenbach and Dr. Molly Casperson, and the rest of the MNCH crew, for giving me the opportunity to work with artifacts and learn about collections. Thanks to my fellow students for accompanying me on this journey. Finally, I need to thank my exceptional wife, Ayelet. Without her support and encouragement none of this would have been possible. You have made it possible for me to pursue my dreams in ways that I never imagined. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Some Limitations to consider ......................................................................................... 7 Overview ..................................................................................................................... 7 A Brief Introduction to the GIS Products and Analyses Used in this Project ............ 9 Data Limitations........................................................................................................ 11 Research Approach and Questions ............................................................................... 13 Research Approach ................................................................................................... 13 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 17 Phase I: Regional Familiarization .................................................................................... 20 Were There Salmon in Beringia During the Late Pleistocene? .................................... 20 The Pleistocene to the Holocene: .............................................................................. 20 The Ecology of Salmon: ........................................................................................... 24 Locating Salmon at the LGM: .................................................................................. 27 Beringian Glacial Geology ........................................................................................... 30 Phase II: Cultural Familiarization .................................................................................... 35 The Time Depth of Salmon Usage................................................................................ 35 Western Beringia: ..................................................................................................... 37 Eastern Beringia: ....................................................................................................... 38 The Northwest Coast, Columbia River, and South of the Columbia: ....................... 38 Traditional Ecological Knowledge ............................................................................... 40 The Human-Salmon Relationship in the Pacific Northwest: .................................... 40 The Human Ecology of Salmon:............................................................................... 42 Phase III: Preliminary Geospatial Analysis ...................................................................... 45 Methodology: ................................................................................................................ 45 Methods Introduction: ............................................................................................... 45 Spatial Data: .............................................................................................................. 46 Analysis......................................................................................................................... 50 Analysis Introduction: ............................................................................................... 50 Drainage Boundaries:................................................................................................ 50 Stream Feature Generation: ...................................................................................... 51 Slope and Curvature Analysis:.................................................................................. 53 Integrated Stream Slope and Curvature Analysis Model: ......................................... 54 Results ........................................................................................................................... 55 Paleo-Drainages at LGM: ......................................................................................... 55 Time Series Analysis: ............................................................................................... 67 Isostatically Adjusted Clark et al. (2014) DEM Time Series: .............................. 71 Unadjusted Clark et al. (2014) DEM Time Series ................................................ 72 Unadjusted BLBDEM (Manley 2002) Time Series: ............................................ 73 Discussion: ............................................................................................................ 74 Improved Data Needs: .......................................................................................... 75 Slope and Curvature Analysis:.................................................................................. 76 Analysis of improved datasets: ................................................................................. 79 Conclusions and Future Study .......................................................................................... 86 Evaluating Research Questions ..................................................................................... 86 Question 1 (Q1): Were there viable salmon populations in Beringia throughout the last 20 thousand years? ................................................................................... 86 Question 2 (Q2): Can geospatial analysis incorporating drainage analysis of existing bathymetric datasets reasonably be interpreted as indicating