Cultural Diversification and Decimation in the Prehistoric Record

The history of human cultures is frequently marked by a distinctive pattern of evolution that paleobiologists term diversification and decimation. Under this process, fundamentally new socioeconomic systems appear during periods of dramatic cultural diversification, typically through cultural cladogenesis. Significant diversification episodes come about under conditions that favor group economic success under effective or geographic isolation. Typically shortlived, they are often followed by abrupt decimation under more competitive economic conditions. Regional archaeological sequences, viewed from this perspective, suggest that (1) cultural evolutionary trends are strongly conditioned by historical contingency, though general evolutionary processes are continuously active; (2) the emergence of new systems may be contingent on economic opportunities associated with niche reorganization; and (3) severe competition such as that associated with demographic stress will generally favor decimation

Muknalia is a Collared Peccary (Pecari Tajacu): A Reply to Stinnesbeck et al.

Several years ago, a new genus and species of peccary, “Muknalia minima”, was described from the Pleistocene of Mexico. We previously examined that specimen and concluded that it was synonymous with the extant collared peccary, Pecari tajacu, but that taxonomic revision is rejected by the authors of the original study (this volume). Here, we provide further analysis of “Muknalia” and expand on previous evidence from both morphology and taphonomy that support synonymy with P. tajacu. We argue that morphological features, both in terms of size and shape, that were used to diagnose “Muknalia” all fall within the range of variation of the extant P. tajacu, or are a consequence of taphonomic modification, including human handling

Patterns of mtDNA Diversity in Northwestern North America

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups of 54 full-blooded modern and 64 ancient Native Americans from northwestern North America were determined. The control regions of 10 modern and 30 ancient individuals were sequenced and compared. Within the Northwest, the frequency distribution for haplogroup A is geographically structured, with haplogroup A decreasing with distance from the Pacific Coast. The haplogroup A distribution suggests that a prehistoric population intrusion from the subarctic and coastal region occurred on the Columbia Plateau in prehistoric times. Overall, the mtDNA pattern in the Northwest suggests significant amounts of gene flow among Northwest Coast, Columbia Plateau, and Great Basin populations

Evolutionary human paleoecology: climatic change and human adaptation in the Pahsimeroi Valley, Idaho, 2500 BP to the present

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1982Two interdependent lines of thought are now converging into a form of archaeology herein called evolutionary human paleoecology, with a foundation in ecology and Darwinian evolutionism and comprised of variables measurable in the archaeological record, this approach promises to illuminate not only the processes of cultural evolution, but also those evolutionary processes common to all self-replicating mechanisms. It is suggested that if archaeologists are to approach this goal, we must develop means for studying the influence of the ultimate evolutionary process, natural selection, on individual episodes of change.Toward this end, a method is introduced for investigating the evolutionary relationship between human adaptation and climatic change in specific instances. A systematic decision-making model, this method sequentially employs data on adaptive patterns (the "fossil" of human adaptive behavior), the ecological niche, effective environment and biophysical environment to test six alternative hypotheses. These hypotheses address whether an observed change in the archaeological record may actually result from natural selection and, if so, whether the shift in selection pressure that may have caused the change was exerted internally (through the innovation of new variant forms of behavior: Mode 1) or externally (through the action of a changing environment on existing behavioral variants: Mode 2). If change occurs in Mode 2, further hypotheses posit the cause for environmental change. Extensive consideration is given to the appropriate sources and quality of data.Utility of the method is demonstrated in a study of the Pahsimeroi Valley, Central Idaho. Concentrating on the steppe zone, the study obtained data on land use and settlement patterns for the period 8000 BP to AD 1975 and acquired information on the human niche and paleoenvironments for portions of the last 3000 years. Paleoenvironmental data, including paleontological, palynological and dendroclimatological records, all were derived from sources independent of each other and of the archaeological record.Analysis focuses on two episodes of change in local human adaptations: a shift in hunting patterns and settlement (social group) size around 400 BP and a change from sedentary-based pastoralism to periodic, big game hunting in the mid twentieth century

The Recovery and First Analysis of an Early Holocene Human Skeleton from Kennewick, Washington

The nearly-complete, well-preserved skeleton of a Paleoamerican male was found by chance near Kennewick, Washington, in 1996. Although analysis was quickly suspended by the U.S. government, initial osteological, archaeological, and geological studies provide a glimpse into the age and life of this individual. A radiocarbon age of 8410 ± 60 B.P., stratigraphic position in a widely-dated alluvial terrace, and an early-Cascade style projectile point healed into the pelvis date the find to the late Early Holocene. Initial osteological analysis describes the man as middle-aged, standing 173.1 ± 3.6 cm tall and weighing approximately 70-75 kg. Healthy as a child, he later suffered repeatedly from injuries to his skull, left arm, chest, and hip, in addition to minor osteoarthritis and periodontal disease. His physical features, teeth, and skeletal measurements show him to be an outlier relative to modern human populations, but place him closer to Pacific Islanders and Ainu than to Late Prehistoric Amerinds or any other modern group. Despite his uniqueness relative to modern peoples, he is not significantly different from other Paleoamerican males in most characteristics

Calcined Bone as a Reliable Medium for Radiocarbon Dating: A Test Using Paired North American Samples

Radiocarbon dating using charcoal and bone collagen, two standards of archaeological chronology, can be difficult to impossible in environments where natural burning is common and bone does not preserve well. In such settings, charcoal ages cannot always be trusted and collagen is unavailable. Calcined bone can be a viable alternative medium in these situations but it has rarely been exploited in the Americas. One area that could benefit from its use is the forested Pacific Northwest. We compare calcined bone ages with charcoal and/or collagen dates from individual features or discrete cultural strata in 10 Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia sites dating between 9000 and 100 B.P. Resulting radiocarbon age estimates based on calcined bone closely match those based on charcoal and/or collagen in nearly all cases. We obtained calcined bone dates from three additional Holocene-aged sites that had not previously produced accurate results, obtaining findings consistent with estimates based on cross dating. Preserving well where all other organic media of cultural origin are lost or unreliable, calcined bone holds promise for dating sites in conifer forests and other acidic soil settings, and can allow researchers to refine archaeological sequences that have long defied accurate chronometric analysis

Was Coccidioides a Pre-Columbian Hitchhiker to Southcentral Washington?

ABSTRACT Coccidioides immitis, a pathogenic environmental fungus that causes Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) primarily in the American Southwest and parts of Central and South America, has emerged over the past 12 years in the Columbia River Basin region, near the confluence with the Yakima River, in southcentral Washington state, USA. An initial autochthonous Washington human case was found in 2010, stemming from a wound derived from soil contamination during an all-terrain vehicle crash. Subsequent analysis identified multiple positive soil samples from the park where the crash occurred (near the Columbia River in Kennewick, WA), and from another riverside location several kilometers upstream from the park location. Intensified disease surveillance identified several more cases of coccidioidomycosis in the region that lacked any relevant travel history to known endemic locales. Genomic analysis of both patient and soil isolates from the Washington cases determined that all samples from the region are phylogenetically closely related. Given the genomic and the epidemiological link between case and environment, C. immitis was declared to be a newly endemic fungus in the region, spawning many questions as to the scope of its presence, the causes of its recent emergence, and what it predicts about the changing landscape of this disease. Here, we review this discovery through a paleo-epidemiological lens in the context of what is known about C. immitis biology and pathogenesis and propose a novel hypothesis for the cause of the emergence in southcentral Washington. We also try to place it in the context of our evolving understanding of this regionally specific pathogenic fungus

Chronometric Precision and Accuracy: Radiocarbon and Luminescence Age Estimates for Pacific Northwest Cooking Features

Advances in chronometric dating are needed to refine chronologies and models of cultural change, and bridging arguments are needed to link age estimates with cultural events. We compare three dating approaches using matched samples from cooking features at three sites in the Puget Sound, finding that luminescence dates for fire-modified rock (FMR), and radiocarbon dates on calcined bone are congruent with radiocarbon dates for charcoal. Dates derived from different media on single features are often within 100 years of each other. We discuss the relative advantages of each type of dating. Calcined bone survives well in acidic soils and yields reliable, accurate, and highly precise age estimates. Luminescence dating is highly accurate, especially if the FMR was sufficiently heated, but has low precision. Calcined bone and FMR should be dated more often, and dated together when charcoal cannot be relied upon. Such practice will allow us to better mark and explain rates of economic changes by locale and region