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Herrscher E, Valentin F, Zinger W, Pradier B, André G. Life histories in Fiji as reconstructed from first millennium CE Sigatoka Sand Dune burials using isotopes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300749. [PMID: 38723036 PMCID: PMC11081393 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
This paper aims to re-examine the dietary practices of individuals buried at Sigatoka Sand Dunes site (Fiji) in Burial Ground 1 excavated by Simon Best in 1987 and 1988 using two approaches and a reassessment of their archaeological, bioarchaeological and chronological frame. First, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was applied to document dietary changes between childhood and adulthood using an intra-individual approach on paired bone-tooth. Second, the potential adaptation of the individuals to their environment was evaluated through regional and temporal comparisons using inter-individual bone analysis. Ten AMS radiocarbon dates were measured directly on human bone collagen samples, placing the series in a range of approximately 600 years covering the middle of the first millennium CE (1,888 to 1,272 cal BP). δ13C and δ15N ratios were measured on bone and tooth collagen samples from 38 adult individuals. The results show that δ15N values from tooth are higher than those s from bone while bone and tooth δ13C values are similar, except for females. Fifteen individuals were included in an intra-individual analysis based on paired bone and tooth samples, which revealed six dietary patterns distinguished by a differential dietary intake of marine resources and resources at different trophic levels. These highlight sex-specific differences not related to mortuary practices but to daily life activities, supporting the hypothesis of a sexual division of labour. Compared to other Southwest Pacific series, Sigatoka diets show a specific trend towards marine food consumption that supports the hypothesis of a relative food self-sufficiency requiring no interactions with other groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Herrscher
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix–en–Provence, France
| | | | - Wanda Zinger
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Archaeo–and Palaeogenetics Group, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Guy André
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Minist Culture, LAMPEA, Aix–en–Provence, France
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Zinger W, Valentin F, Spriggs M, Bedford S, Flexner JL, Willie E, Kuautonga T, Détroit F. "Feeling at home in Vanuatu": Integration of newcomers from the East during the last millennium. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0290465. [PMID: 38295041 PMCID: PMC10830024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Several localities across the Vanuatu archipelago (Melanesia), so-called 'Polynesian Outliers', are inhabited by communities that display Polynesian linguistic and cultural features although being located outside the Polynesian Triangle. Several introductions of Polynesian genetic components to Central and Southern Vanuatu during the last millenium have resulted in the cultural distinctiveness observed among the Polynesian Outliers in Vanuatu. However, social, political or economic process surrounding the exchange of genes between Polynesian and local individuals remain unidentified. Recent bioanthropological studies suggest the existence of female mobilities from neighboring regions to Vanuatu but also to the Polynesian Outliers of Taumako (Solomon Islands) within patrilocal societies. We aim to examine the hypothesis that Polynesian biological affinities observed in ancient individuals from Vanuatu are gendered or sex-specific, and that some of the Polynesian migrations during the last millennium may have involved practices of exogamy. By reconstructing phenotypes and biological identities from 13 archaeologically-recovered human skulls (400-300 years ago) from "Polynesian-related" regions of Vanuatu, we provide new insights to better contextualize the settlement patterns of Polynesian individuals. Eastern-Pacific associated phenotype are observable in 4 women from the Eretok burial complex (Efate region) and the Polynesian Outlier of Futuna, who were buried in close proximity to individuals with Western-Pacific associated phenotype. We suggest that close integration of individuals from the East into the local Vanuatu society, as well as the practice of exogamy, might have been key processes contributing to the preservation of Polynesian cultural features in Vanuatu over the past millennium. Our finding are cross-referenced with oral records from these two areas, as well as the known genetic makeup of the Vanuatu Polynesian Outliers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanda Zinger
- Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics Group, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Frédérique Valentin
- UMR 8068 TEMPS/CNRS/ Université Paris1 Panthéon Sorbonne/ Université Paris Nanterre/ Ministère de la Culture, MSH Mondes, Nanterre, France
| | - Matthew Spriggs
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, College of Arts and Social Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Stuart Bedford
- School of Culture, History & Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Leipzig, Germany
| | - James L. Flexner
- Department of Archaeology, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Edson Willie
- Vanuatu Cultural Centre Port Vila, Port Vila, Vanuatu
| | | | - Florent Détroit
- Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics Group, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
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Sudron EL, Kinaston RL, Cawte H, Kleffmann T, Kumar A, Kramer R, Stirling C, Reid M, Barr D, McStay A, Lawrence M, King K, Halcrow SE. Extracting the truth through chemical analyses: Early life histories of Victorian-era dental patients in Aotearoa New Zealand. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:141-156. [PMID: 37925739 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES There are few bioarcheological analyses of life experiences in colonial period Aotearoa New Zealand, despite this being a time of major adaptation and social change. In our study, early life histories are constructed from multi-isotope and enamel peptide analysis of permanent first molars associated with Victorian era dental practices operating between AD 1881 and 1905 in Invercargill. Chemical analyses of the teeth provide insight into the childhood feeding practices, diet, and mobility of the people who had their teeth extracted. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four permanent left mandibular first molars were analyzed from a cache of teeth discovered at the Leviathan Gift Depot site during excavations in 2019. The methods used were: (1) enamel peptide analysis to assess chromosomal sex; (2) bulk (δ13 Ccarbonate ) and incremental (δ13 Ccollagen and δ15 N) isotope analysis of dentin to assess childhood diet; and (3) strontium (87 Sr/86 Sr) and oxygen (δ18 O) isotope analysis of enamel to assess childhood residency. Two modern permanent first molars from known individuals were analyzed as controls. RESULTS The archaeological teeth were from three chromosomal males and one female. The protein and whole diets were predominately based on C3 -plants and domestic animal products (meat and milk). A breastfeeding signal was only identified in one historic male. All individuals likely had childhood residences in Aotearoa. DISCUSSION Unlike most bioarcheological studies that rely on the remains of the dead, the teeth analysed in this study were extracted from living people. We suggest that the dental patients were likely second or third generation colonists to Aotearoa, with fairly similar childhood diets. They were potentially lower-class individuals either living in, or passing through, the growing colonial center of Invercargill.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Sudron
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
| | - Rebecca L Kinaston
- Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
- BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand
| | - Hayden Cawte
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Torsten Kleffmann
- Centre for Protein Research, Research Infrastructure Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Abhishek Kumar
- North Region Environmental, California Department of Transportation, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Robyn Kramer
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Claudine Stirling
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Malcolm Reid
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - David Barr
- Centre for Trace Element Analysis, Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Amy McStay
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Megan Lawrence
- New Zealand Heritage Properties, Dunedin and Invercargill, New Zealand
| | - Kathryn King
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Siân E Halcrow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Miszkiewicz JJ, Buckley HR, Feldman M, Kiko L, Carlhoff S, Naegele K, Bertolini E, Guimarães NRD, Walker MM, Powell A, Posth C, Kinaston RL. Female bone physiology resilience in a past Polynesian Outlier community. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18857. [PMID: 36344562 PMCID: PMC9640697 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23171-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Remodelling is a fundamental biological process involved in the maintenance of bone physiology and function. We know that a range of health and lifestyle factors can impact this process in living and past societies, but there is a notable gap in bone remodelling data for populations from the Pacific Islands. We conducted the first examination of femoral cortical histology in 69 individuals from ca. 440-150 BP Taumako in Solomon Islands, a remote 'Polynesian Outlier' island in Melanesia. We tested whether bone remodelling indicators differed between age groups, and biological sex validated using ancient DNA. Bone vascular canal and osteon size, vascular porosity, and localised osteon densities, corrected by femoral robusticity indices were examined. Females had statistically significantly higher vascular porosities when compared to males, but osteon densities and ratios of canal-osteon (~ 8%) did not differ between the sexes. Our results indicate that, compared to males, localised femoral bone tissue of the Taumako females did not drastically decline with age, contrary to what is often observed in modern populations. However, our results match findings in other archaeological samples-a testament to past female bone physiology resilience, also now observed in the Pacific region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justyna J. Miszkiewicz
- grid.1001.00000 0001 2180 7477School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia ,grid.1003.20000 0000 9320 7537School of Social Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Hallie R. Buckley
- grid.29980.3a0000 0004 1936 7830Department of Anatomy, Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Michal Feldman
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics Group, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.419518.00000 0001 2159 1813Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lawrence Kiko
- The Solomon Islands National Museum, Honiara, Solomon Islands
| | - Selina Carlhoff
- grid.419518.00000 0001 2159 1813Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kathrin Naegele
- grid.419518.00000 0001 2159 1813Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Emilie Bertolini
- grid.469873.70000 0004 4914 1197Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Nathalia R. Dias Guimarães
- grid.1001.00000 0001 2180 7477School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Meg M. Walker
- grid.1001.00000 0001 2180 7477School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Adam Powell
- grid.419518.00000 0001 2159 1813Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Cosimo Posth
- grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Archaeo- and Palaeogenetics Group, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.10392.390000 0001 2190 1447Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany ,grid.419518.00000 0001 2159 1813Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rebecca L. Kinaston
- grid.29980.3a0000 0004 1936 7830Department of Anatomy, Otago School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand ,grid.1022.10000 0004 0437 5432Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Griffith University, Southport, QLD Australia ,BioArch South, Waitati, New Zealand
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