Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Prehistoric Plant Use Among Complex Maritime Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers, Santa Cruz Island, California

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

Under the direction of Dr. Michael Glassow, Kristina M. Gill will analyze carbonized plant remains from prehistoric habitation sites on Santa Cruz Island, one of the Northern Channel Islands off the coast of southern California. Her goal is to examine the role of plant resources among prehistoric maritime hunter-gatherer-fishers, and how the importance of plants changed through time in response to environmental stress and increased trade with mainland populations. Despite the maritime focus of island populations, the extent to which locally available plant resources were used throughout the Holocene is important for understanding changes in subsistence, settlement, regional exchange, and socio-political complexity. Ms. Gill will address these research objectives by examining three habitation sites on Santa Cruz Island, each of which is associated with mortar holes in adjacent bedrock outcrops. Throughout California, stone mortars and pestles typically were used to process plant foods. Of particular interest, excavations at the Diablo Valdez site (SCRI-619/620), occupied from at least 3000 BC until after European contact (AD 1782), yielded a large number of carbonized corms (similar to bulbs), a highly ranked local plant food. The Diablo Valdez site, with its long period of occupation and the presence of carbonized corms in numerous strata, will make a significant contribution to refining current understanding of island resource exploitation, settlement, and exchange. This research project will contribute to understanding human adaptation at a simple level of technology. It will proceed through integration of multiple lines of evidence to examine both floral and faunal food resource use in terms of foraging theory and diet breadth models, in an island context where marine resources are particularly abundant but where plant resources likely were critical to a balanced diet. Cross-cultural comparison, specifically with regard to the relative importance of plants, among various maritime hunter-gatherer-fisher societies will provide new insights into how foraging decisions were made. Broader impacts include participation by students, which is essential during all aspects of this research project. Previous excavations at the Diablo Valdez site involved a combination of undergraduate and graduate students and professional archaeologists, fostering a unique cooperative research environment. The planned excavations will provide a similar interaction between students and professionals from academic, government, and public archaeology backgrounds. Moreover, laboratory analyses will provide important educational opportunities for undergraduate students through training in archaeological faunal and paleoethnobotanical analysis. This research will significantly improve understanding of the role of plants in both current and past Chumash Indian culture. The youth education program of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is dedicated to preserving traditional knowledge and supporting archaeological research that provides valuable information about their past. During excavations in summer 2011, Ms. Gill led an interpretive hike for the youth program on Santa Cruz Island, focusing on the identification of native plants and their traditional uses. Based on the success of this hike, she will continue to lead annual hikes for the youth program and other interested tribal members. Fostering a positive, open relationship between the scientific and Native American community is a goal of this research project.