7.0 FAUNAL ANALYSIS

Michael Barnes

Introduction and General Comments

All faunal materials recovered from Pollock& Bullock's 1992 underwater test pits and Settlement Surveys 1997 excavations were examined. Previous work by the author has expressed the importance of thorough faunal analyses. In the past, some archaeological site reports have not fully utilized the important information available through faunal investigations. The present faunal study however, can add clues to the particular sites under assessment and its occupants.

The main scope of this faunal report will be on specimens found during the1997 excavations. It will not, however, centre on the availability, population, and appearance or disappearance of species through time. Many of the aforementioned topics have been covered by Thomas (ASI 1996 Section 4.8.1), and will not be reiterated here.

Two key issues that should be scrutinized are state of bone preservation and acidity of soils. These topics have been discussed by Thomas (1996, section 4.8.1), and will prove useful for addtional commentary here.

SAMPLE SIZE AND CONDITION OF THE SAMPLE

The following charts break down the sample in the same manner that is highlighted in the "Methodology" section of this report.

CbGu-5 (La Vase /Bothwell Island Site)

CbGu-1 (North Bank Site)

Mammalian elements	4
Avian elements	0
Osteichtyes elements	0
Amphibian elements	0
Reptilian elements	0
Calcined elements	10
Unidentifiable elements	3
TOTAL	17

The conditions of the sample were, overall, highly variable. There are, however, general observations that can be made that are site-specific. For instance, the North Bank site has a general lack of faunal remains, and random finds tend to be minute, calcined fragments or poorly preserved.

High soil acidity does not permit long term preservation of faunal remains (typical of most sites on the Canadian Shield). As a consequence, the sample in question may be mainly historic, and only a portion could possibly be attributed to a prehistoric occupation. It is probable that burned and calcined bone dates back to a prehistoric time frame due to chemical changes that have taken place which preserves small bone fragments.

METHODOLOGY

Since the author has worked with previous assemblages of faunal remains for sites CbGu-1 and CbGu-5, it was decided to retain similar identification and reporting methodology as in the previous report (see Barnes, 1996 B.A Thesis). Since the aforementioned report will probably not be available to the reader, methodological techniques will be recapitulated here.

Apart from the basic catalogue, a separate worksheet was devised, on which all pertinent categories of individual bones are listed.. Categories within this worksheet include: Catalogue Number, Class, Family, Genus/Species, Body Portion, Bone Portion, Age Class, Side, Natural and Cultural Alteration. Reference specimens were compared when needed for identification. Other methods of similar to the 1996 study include:

1. A 100% confidence level was practised.
2. Use of key references by Gilbert (Mammalian Osteology (1980), and Avian Osteology (1985).
3. Modified statistical analyses.

With regard to the methodology for the purpose of this study, due to their lack of value or access to resources however, certain aspects of the 1996 study were omitted. They include the following:

1. Individual bone weight.
2. Worksheet categories "Pathology" and "Sex".
3. Specimens too fragmentary or calcined for identification (these were placed in the categories "Unidentifiable" or "Calcined").

This method prevents individual specimens overlapping into more than one category, and is also more accurate. Also, these methods leave out the possibility of over-representation.

When determining the class of a particular bone, characteristics of the bone morphology were sought after. These characteristics are listed below (Savage 1987):

Table 25. Faunal Classes

DISCUSSION

Calcined Bone

The process of calcination of bone occurs when bone is thermally altered. The effects of a single campfire are not sufficient enough to create calcination of bone. Normally, bone that has been calcined has either been put into a hearth that has been reused many times, and/or used as fuel for fire.

Among Aboriginal Peoples, animal bones received special treatment. Many hunted species were burned in hearths or placed in water, this was to not offend the animal manitou (or deity) (Rajnovich 1994:101). Whether this practice affected the amount of preserved bone within the prehistoric contents is not known, however as mentioned previously, acidic soils play a large role in decomposing bone.

A class identification has not been applied to calcined bone for the simple reasoning that most calcined bones occur as micro-fragments. Morphological changes also take place during calcification that alter class detection. It should be noted here that calcined bone is most likely to be of the mammalian class, as indicated by overall class proportions found in hearths. Therefore, if any class category is misrepresented, it would be by under-representation of the Mammalian and, to a lesser extent, Avian classes.

As indicated previously, calcined bone represents 54% of the total faunal assemblage. While an inter-site comparison of CbGu-1 (38% of calcined bone total), and CbGu-5 (62% of calcined bone total) indicates a greater proportion of calcined bone recovered from the Island site, this representation is misleading. The amount of calcined bone recovered through the wet-screening at CbGu-5 totalled 699 fragments. Calcined bone from the North bank was not collected using a wet-screen technique and is therefore relatively under-represented in relation due to micro-faunal analysis of the Island site.

MICROFAUNAL STUDY

Excavation methodology during the 1997 field excavations included extensive wet-screening at CbGu-5. Micro materials were collected from the wet-screen and brought back to the lab for study under magnification. This led to the recovery of 2093 elements.

Specimens were catalogued with the prefix "ws" for wet-screen. Of the total number of elements retrieved, 1123 were calcined fragments. This left 935 elements for possible identification. Most elements were recovered from the hearth in unit 309/398. The identification class from such microfragments was difficult to impossible except for the following exceptions.

1. Mammalian longbone fragments:167
2. Osteichthyes vertebrae: 20
3. Osteichtyes ribs and scales: 63
4. Avian: 4
5. Mammalian epipheseal portions: 12
6. Mammalian Dentition: 19
7. Mammalian micellaneous: 340

Identifications were possible in the following Genus/Species from the microfaunal sample:

Sus scrofa: 3 molars and 3 mandibular fragments.

Castor canadensis: 2 vertebrae, proximal and distal end of left tibia.

Tamiaus stritus: left tibia, distal end removed, foramen at proximal end.

Ondatra zibethicus: Left humerus, distal end missing. 6 dental fragments.

Canis familiaris: 1 premolar, 1 canine, 1 incisor.

ws97-20 A mammalian long bone of 22mm in length, most likely the tibia of a squirrel or mouse. This specimen bears a distinct resemblence to the likeness of a needle. The foramen at the proximal end may be natural or anthropogenic, and the end comes to a point with a thickness of 1.05mm. This example also appears to have a high degree of polish.

97-519 A vertebra of Castor canadensis, this specimen is in a remarkably good state of preservation. This quality allows the identification of two distinct cut or "hack" marks on both condyles. These clean cuts suggest purposeful disarticulation, possibly removing the tail from the fur pelt.

FAUNAL IDENTIFICATIONS

Class Mammalia

The Cervidae Family

The Cervidae family includes such species as Cervus canadensis (Wapati), Cervus nannodes (Tule Elk) Odocoileus virginianus (White-Tailed deer), Alces alces (Moose), and Rangifer tarandus (Caribou).

Upon preliminary examinations, many specimens of Odocoileus virginianus appeared to differ from reference collections. Specifically bones that appear to be Odocoileus virginianus were rather large, and yet some exhibit juvenile characteristics. Some specimens had pronounced muscle attatchments that were not on reference specimens. Thomas (1996:153) notes that "the LaVase Island deer elements encountered were from robust individuals, larger and with better defined muscle attachments than the most mature specimen in the laboratory". It was upon this quote that the author has ruled out any affilation to larger species of Cervids such as Moose or Elk.

97-464 and 97-493 These mandibular fragments were identified as being from the same individual, mainly from being excavated in close association. 97-464 represents the left mandible with dentition M1, M2, and M3. Upon preliminary examination it was obvious the individual would have been a juvenile or sub-adult due to little or no surface wear on buccal or lingual cusps. It was also quite apparent from the overall size of the dentition and mandible morphology that it was likely to be of the species Odocoileus virginianus. Since all permanent molars had erupted completely, it was possible to cite Gilbert (1980) on "Minimum, Maximum, and Mean Length in mm of Cheek Tooth Rows of Mature Artiodactyls" Using this method it was estimated that specimen 97-464 had an approximate length of 85.07mm, where the mean value stated by Gilbert was 86.4 (Gilbert 1980:60). Upon further research utilizing Severinhaus (1949), specimen 97-464 would fall into the sub-class of Seventeen to Twenty Months. On buccal cusps, M1 and M2 have slight wear, while M3 is absent of wear on the buccal cusp. Wear on all Lingual cusps is slight to moderate. The most significant wear comes from the posterior cusp on M3, on both lingual and buccal surfaces.

Specimen 97-493 is the left mandibular section between the incisors and premolars, and is absent of dentition. Oddly this specimen is without nutrient foramen(s), however the portion of this specimen may be the area between nutrient foramens would usually be located.

Other Identifications of Odocoileus virginianus

The minimum number of individuals of Odocoileus virginianus from the 1997 assemblage is one.

Castor Canadensis (Canadian Beaver)

Castor canadensis, or the common Canadian beaver, proved to be the most numerous in positive identificaitons (n=9). The following table shows the individual bone portion represented within this sample.

Based on the above charts, the minimum number of individuals represented in this sample is 2, this is shown by the recovery of two body portions of the left humerus. Body portions represented lack hind limbs, head and paw bones. The author was prevented from making any conclusions because certain areas of the skeleton were missing. Normally it may be possible to determine what body portions were being consumed for meat as opposed to the sole purpose of the hide (for obvious economic use). Through a quick reference to previous reports from site CbGu-5, it is plain to see that where this mistake can be made. For instance, ASI and Laurentian University reported head portions, where as the study assemblage lacks these elements. ASI reports a lack of fore limbs, while this assemblage has a larger proportion of fore limbs. Basically, it would seem that the only portions of Castor canadensis seems to be lacking at sight CbGu-5 when collaborating previous excavations, are paws, and therefore, no further conclusions can be drawn from representative body portions.

The 1997 assemblage also lacks cut-marks. Previous faunal reports (Thomas 1996, Barnes 1997) have reported on cut-marks with metallic tools. The only evidence of butchering on Castor canadensis lies in vertebrae hack marks. This implies that instead of small cut marks embedded on the bone surface, the vertebra has been disarticulated with a clean cut, most likely from an axe.

Ondatra zibethicus (muskrat)

There are four positive identifications of muskrat. Specimens represent the head portions including two left mandibles, and dentition. Only one fore limb was represented by a left humerus. Since no evidence of cut marks or thermal alterations were found on these specimens, it is most likely that their presence in the assemblage is due to natural phenomena.

Domesticated Species

As speculated from previous reports (ASI 1996, Barnes 1996), there is a presence of domesticated species on the LaRonde Establishment. Sus scrofa (pig) dentition and mandibular portions have been identified from CbGu-5 excavations in 1995 by ASI and in the 1997 Settlement Surveys collectiont . ASI state that only one individual can be identified, and since the dentition and mandibular fragments were found in a similar locale, this number cannot be increased (as it may be from the same individual).

Canis familiaris or the common domestic dog has also been speculated to have been present during the La Ronde Occuation. Thomas (1996:150) states that gnaw marks on bone recovered from 1995 excavations are most likely those of the domestic dog. Laurentian University excavations of 1996 unearthed the phalange of Canis familiaris. The present assemblage adds further evidence with the recovery of dentition fragments. While these specimens represent one canine, one incisor, and one premolar, they have been thermally altered and are highly fragmented.

Thomas has also speculated on the possibility of the precence of ox or cow being present in the 1995 assemblage but is not conclusive.

Class Aves

The 1997 assemblage of bird bones was very low (0.5% of total assemblage). There were, however, 12 positive identification of the Aves class. Only one actual bone was identified, that of the body and distal portion of a humerus coming from the family Anseriformes (merganser, goose, duck). The only other identification made was that of a sternum, which appears in form to resemble a juvenille Gallus gallus or the common chicken. Due to the small nature of this specimen (most likely a small chick), many features on the sternum were difficult to assess, and would not be conclusive.

Natural and Cultural Alterations

Although previous reports on sites CbGu-1 and CbGu-5 have shown evidence of natural alterations such as animal gnaw marks, the 1997 assemblage is absent of these features. Cultural alterations such as thermal alterations and cut marks are present in this sample. While cut-marks or indentations are not present within the bone itself (which can lead to conclusions of type of material being used such as metal or stone), evidence of hack marks, or the clean disarticulation of bones are present (as previously discussed).

Thermal alterations on bones is what one would expect to find from specimens retrieved from a hearth. The majority of bone found from the Island Site was recovered from unit 309/398 of which 98% was thermally altered or burned to some degree.

Faunal remains found within archaeological features such as hearths can give excellent clues as to the diet of the occupants. From this evidence it can be concluded that at least deer, beaver, and fish were most likely cooked for meat, as well as domesticated species such as dog and pig. This type of study can lead to estimating the pounds of meat that can be consumed at a site. However this type of study would lead to false conclusions as the total duration of occupation of the site is still not known.

Inter-Site Comparison

The opposite yields of faunal remains when comparing site CbGu-1 and CbGu-5 is quite remarkable. The fact that there is such a high concentration of bone coming from the Island site when compared to the North Bank site where there is a lack of bone recoveries, raises many questions. There are, of course simple deductions one can make to help explain this opposite yield of faunal remains between two sites in such close proximity to each other.

North Bank (CbGu-1)

The low concentrations from the North Bank may be attributed to the significant modern disturbances that have taken place on the site.

Also, since it is believed that the main occupation from the North Bank is from Aboriginal Peoples, then there may have been special treatment involved when discarding animal bones such as in the water or in a hearth. Placing animal bones in a fire can calcine bone if the hearth was used repeatedly. Evidence for this conclusion lies in the moderate amount of calcined bone found at the North Bank site.

The major factor as mentioned is the disturbance found on the North Bank. In most cases this disturbance affects the upper layers of stratigraphy where faunal remains may be located. Added with other natural forces such as erosion from the La Vase River, and the acidity of soils, faunal remains have been virtually removed.

CbGu-5 ( La Vase/Bothwell Island Site)

The high yields of faunal remains from the Island site can be attributed to the intense occupation over the past two centuries. There is no doubt that the LaRonde occupation has contributed to this assemblage. The degree of use of local animals for meat consumption as a byproduct from trapping and hunting for fur and hides is not known. The fact remains however that cut marks found on bones from previous assemblages cannot be attributed to skinning, but most likely are butchering marks from extraction of meat.

Little can be concluded from this assemblage that can add to information on the daily life of the LaRonde Post. It is likely that the occupants trapped and hunted local fauna for the sale of furs, but not conclusive.

The most significant finds are those of the domesticated species. It can now be stated with confidence that the residents of the Post had domesticated species and this can lead to an interesting discussion. Thus far, it has been impossible to predict the possiblilty of the Post being occupied year round. It has also been difficult to contemplate the nature of the occupation. For example, it has been noted in historical records that Eustache had a large family with many children. The point that is being made here is that with evidence such as horticulture and now with the discovery of domesticated species, it seems that this site in fact represents a year round continuous occupation instead of a seasonal trading post.

Back to the Lavase River/Fort Laronde