Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 5-19-2015 12:00 AM Reconstructing subsistence practices of southwestern Ontario Late Woodland Peoples (A.D. 900-1600) using stable isotopic analyses of faunal material Zoe H. Morris The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Dr. Christine White The University of Western Ontario Joint Supervisor Dr. Fred Longstaffe The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Zoe H. Morris 2015 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Morris, Zoe H., "Reconstructing subsistence practices of southwestern Ontario Late Woodland Peoples (A.D. 900-1600) using stable isotopic analyses of faunal material" (2015). 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RECONSTRUCTING SUBSISTENCE PRACTICES OF SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO LATE WOODLAND PEOPLES (AD 900–1600) USING STABLE ISOTOPIC ANALYSES OF FAUNAL MATERIAL (Integrated Article) by Zoe Hensley Morris Graduate Program in Anthropology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies The University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada © Zoe Hensley Morris 2015 ii Abstract Stable carbon–, nitrogen–, and oxygen–isotope analyses of animal bones and teeth from 28 archaeological sites are used to reconstruct human subsistence behaviour, i.e., increased maize horticulturalism, during the Late Woodland period (A.D. 1000–1650) in southwestern Ontario. The isotopic data provided dietary, seasonal, and geographic information, which was analysed within archaeological, symbolic, and ecological contexts and used to reconstruct the diets, hunting patterns, and animal processing practices of two neighbouring groups, the Ontario Iroquoian and Western Basin peoples. Paleodietary and seasonality analyses focused on the following species: canids (domestic dogs, foxes, and wolves), wild turkeys and white-tailed deer, though additional fauna (including black bears, raccoons, and squirrels) were also analysed. Bone (n=324) and dentine (n=11) collagen provided dietary information, specifically concerning access to maize and trophic position. The carbon– and nitrogen–isotope composition of modern plants (n= 8) and animals (n=87) was used to expand the local food web and understand abilities of modern animals to access crops. Structural carbonate isotopic analyses for archaeological (n=126) and modern (n=28) individuals provided additional information about trophic position, post–mortem alteration, and geographic affiliation. Serially sampled enamel was analysed for several deer and a dog, and was successfully paired with x–radiographs to create an enamel formation sequence, which enables reconstruction of short term (seasonal) diets. The domestic dog isotopic data expanded our understanding of human dietary change over the Late Woodland period for both Ontario Iroquoian and Western Basin peoples, including different emphases on protein sources (i.e., fish). Wild fauna, particularly foxes, wild turkeys, raccoons and squirrels, were able to access maize. The turkey isotopic data suggest a unique hunting strategy at some Ontario Iroquoian sites, i.e., the purposeful discard of maize 13 to create a predictable field hunting zone. An unexpected relationship between the δ Ccol and 13 δ Csc values of deer appears to reflect a post–mortem processing (i.e., boiling) practice. This thesis has expanded our understanding of Late Woodland diets, horticultural and hunting practices. It has also demonstrated that fauna may be used to reconstruct human behaviour and ideology in lieu of the destructive analysis of human remains. ii iii Keywords Stable isotopes, bioarchaeology, white-tailed deer, dogs, wild turkey, southwestern Ontario Late Woodland archaeology iii iv Dedication Dedicated to all the selfless relationships that grow our hearts and expand our minds. To Kai - my son and soul mate - your happiness is my greatest achievement and your impending birth gave me a deadline that inspired me to finally finish To Lola - your unyielding loyalty brings me continued happiness and contentment. You truly got me through the ups and downs of thesis research and writing. iv v Acknowledgments There are so many people to thank for making my thesis possible that I am worried my acknowledgments will be as long as the thesis itself! I can say without hesitation that I have the best supervisors ever. Thank you to Dr. Christine White and Dr. Fred Longstaffe for your tireless commitment and encouragement through this entire process. Chris, thank you for choosing to have me come to Western and the Department of Anthropology. It is your guidance and support through the maze and hoops of graduate school and research that got me to the end. Thank you for tea at Angelo’s, for your kindness and patience, and for talking me through my self-doubt. Fred, thank you for making me a part of the Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science team. Thank you for keeping me focused when my ideas wandered. Thank you for your terrible puns and, of course, thank you for your unmatched dedication to the lab and your students. I owe you a thesis limerick. A special thank you to Dr. Lisa Hodgetts for your role as part of my advisory and examining committee and for the access to the Zooarchaeology Lab. You not only helped me with my samples, but taught me the basics of faunal identification. Your personal support for my project and for me and my family will always be remembered. Thank you for the invaluable input, ideas, and direction from Dr. Neal Ferris and Dr. Christopher Ellis. Our discussions shaped and directed my research and writing. Thank you to my examining committee, Dr. Elizabeth Webb, Dr. Michael Spence, and Dr. Christopher Watts. Your time, questions, and insights are truly appreciated. Funding for this project was generously provided by a J. Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Western Graduate Scholarship, and Western Graduate Thesis Research Awards as well as grants from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Western Graduate Research Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund; and support from the Canada Research Chairs program. Thank you to the many individuals and institutions that provided samples and laboratory access for my project. Specifically, thank you to Dr. Kamal Khidas, Noel Alfonso and the Canadian Museum of Nature for access to modern faunal specimens and their radiographic v vi equipment. Thank you to Kevin Seymour and the Royal Ontario Museum for access to their comparative mammalian collection and use of their radiographic equipment. Thank you to Sustainable Archaeology for the opportunity to work in the Ancient Images Laboratory, access to samples for isotopic analysis, and use of their digital radiographic equipment. Thank you to D.R. Poulton & Associates Inc. for access to modern comparative samples for radiography and archaeological samples for isotopic analysis. Thank you to McMaster’s Department of Anthropology, along with Dr. Meghan Burchell and Christine Cluney, for access to their archaeological collections for isotopic analysis. Thank you to the Museum of Ontario Archaeology, the London Office of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and Golder and Associates Inc. for allowing me the access to analyze archaeological samples from several sites. At Western University, I would like to thank the Department of Biology and Sarah Lee for access to hundreds of modern deer samples for radiography. The Department of Anthropology has supported my long graduate career with incredible courses, teaching assistant opportunities, funding and a wonderful team of faculty and staff. I would like give a big thanks to the Department of Anthropology’s Zooarchaeology Laboratory for access to samples, their comparative collection and a space to process modern samples. Thank you to Edward Eastaugh for brainstorming ideas and sharing his space in the Zooarch Lab with me. Thank you to Anthropology’s Radiography Laboratory and Dr. Andrew Nelson for training me and providing me with film and chemicals. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Alexis Dolphin, Anna Jung, Jim Keron and John Moody for their help in the Anthropology labs. Thank you to Dr. Lindsay Foreman for helping identify the hundreds of samples collected for isotopic analysis. I would like to thank all the individuals who took the time to collect and donate modern deer and wild turkey samples, which were invaluable to my research, including Ted Barney, Richard Baskey, Mike Boyd, Dr. Ryan Hladyniuk, Jim Keron, Monica and Greg Maika, and Dr. Wendy Russell. Thank you to Gypsy Price for access to her unpublished wild turkey thesis data. My extreme gratitude to the Laboratory for Stable Isotope Science and my lab family and friends. I quite literally could not have done this project without you. Kim Law, you are the vi vii laboratory glue which keeps