Iris Publishers- Open Access Journal of Archaeology & Anthropology | Human Processing of Rodents in Patagonia: The Relevance of Historical and Ethnographical Data for Archaeological Interpretations

Authored by Analia Andrade

The consumption of small mammals was a widespread practice between indigenous societies worldwide. Modern taphonomic studies carried out upon bone assemblages from archaeological sites in northern Patagonia (Argentina) demonstrate that Caviomorph rodents were also included in the diet of Patagonian populations, both from the steppe and the forests, at least since the Late Holocene. The revision of historical and ethnographical documents written by priests, naturalists and ethnographers during c. XVI-XX allow to corroborate that rodents were intensively exploited in Patagonia, continental and insular. Bones, meat and skin of the animals were employed for diverse purposes, and the gathering activity was guided by women and children.

The consumption and utilization of rodent species by indigenous societies was documented worldwide through diverse cultural practices, both religious and economic [1-6]. The Olduvai Gorge (1.76 Ma, Tanzania) is the earliest archaeological documentation of hominids micromammals consumption [7]. In the Central Andes, the caviidae Cavia porcellus was domesticated since pre-Columbian times [8,9]. and it is included in ritual ceremonies [10,11] Aymara and Quechua populations from the Puna of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile uses the skins of the Abrocoma species, and specimens of Galea musteloides with cranial deformations have been found in tombs suggesting micromammals captivity [12].

While in Patagonia (southern part of South America) the proportions of rodent remains in zooarchaeological contexts are, in many cases, higher than those of other taxa, the role of small mammals in human subsistence was underestimated. The reasons for this underestimation were the preponderance attributed for large and medium sized mammals in human diets, the consideration of rodents as intrusive (and bioturbation agents) into the archaeological sequences and the absence of clear evidences (like cut marks) that could allow to associate them with defined cultural practices. This review discusses the intensity in the exploitation of certain species of rodents in Patagonia. It is argued – based on archaeological, historical and etnographical evidencesthat indigenous societies used this resource integrally since at least the Late Holocene.

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