Diversity of Lifeways in Early Antillean Societies: A Multi-Isotope Approach

Abstract

Objectives: In this paper, we sought to examine whether people with different lifeways, as evidenced by their mobility patterns and dietary practices, inhabited the Antilles in early precolonial time. We also aimed to explore spatiotemporal trends.

Materials and methods: New and previously published enamel strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope data were combined with bone apatite carbon and bone collagen carbon and nitrogen isotope data to assess the mobility and diet of 146 individuals from eight early precolonial sites from Cuba.

Results: At least three patterns of mobility, associated with different dietary signals, were identified. In contrast with the low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹³C_en variability found in Canímar Abajo (CA) between bce 1320 and 807, more variability in dietary practices and higher mobility was apparent in later groups. Between bce 116 and 241 ce, individuals from Playa del Mango showed high mobility within the Cauto region, likely associated with food procurement between inland and coastal areas. From at least 174 ce, a moderate pattern of mobility and a diversity of dietary traditions could be observed among groups from western sites. At least three general dietary patterns were observed, ranging from a 100% C₃ diet to 70:30 C₃/C₄ and, in the case of CA, a higher dependence on marine/C₄ resources.

Conclusions: The differences observed in both mobility and diet between and within populations support the notion that groups with different lifeways inhabited the Antilles in precolonial times. This diverse mosaic of cultural traits defies attempts to group them into broad categories for regional studies of biological and cultural traits.

Keywords: Caribbean Archaic; diversity of lifeways; paleodiet; paleomobility; stable isotopes.

FIGURE 1

(A) Location of sites included in this study. (B) Available AMS radiocarbon dates from human remains of the sites included in this study. CP: Cueva del Perico; MII: Marien II; CI: Bacuranao I; CAYC: Canímar Abajo younger cemetery; CAOC: Canímar Abajo older cemetery; CC: Cueva Calero; GB: Guayabo Blanco; PM: Playa del Mango.

FIGURE 2

Geological map of Cauto Valley region. Fm: Formation; Q: Quaternary; N: Neogene; P: Paleogene; K: Cretaceous; J: Jurassic.

FIGURE 3

Geological map of west Cuba. Fm: Formation; Q: Quaternary; N: Neogene; P: Paleogene; K: Cretaceous; J: Jurassic.

FIGURE 4

⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ ¹³C_en values of individuals from Playa del Mango (A and B), Bacuranao I (C) and Marien II (D). Yellow and green shadowed areas represent the range of bioavailable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr as estimated from the bedrock and local hutias, respectively. Arrows in (B) show individuals for which tissues formed at different ages were sampled for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analysis (run from earlier to later developing tooth). (E) ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹³C_en values of infants, children and adolescents from Playa del Mango; (F) ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and δ¹⁸O_en values of individuals from Marien II, Bacuranao I and Playa del Mango.

FIGURE 5

⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of individuals from Playa del Mango (PM), Bacuranao I (CI), Marien II (MII) and published values from Canímar Abajo (CAOC: Older cemetery; CAYC: Younger cemetery) and Cueva del Perico I (CP). Orange and green shadowed areas represent the expected ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr range for the three regions examined and the range of bioavailable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr at PM site, respectively.

FIGURE 6

δ ¹³C_co, δ ¹³C_ap, and δ ¹⁵N_co values of Playa del Mango, Guayabo Blanco, Cueva Florencio, Cueva Calero, Canímar Abajo (older and younger cemeteries), Marien II, and Cueva del Perico I adults plotted against Froehle et al. (2010) (A) and Froehle et al. (2012) (B) models.

FIGURE 7

Changes in δ ¹³C_diet, δ ¹³C_energy, and δ ¹³C_protein over time. PM: Playa del Mango; GB: Guayabo Blanco; CAYC: Canímar Abajo younger cemetery; CAOC: Canímar Abajo older cemetery; CP: Cueva del Perico I.