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1. Insights into Intragroup Variation in Precontact Paleodiet: A Middle Period Example from San Mateo County

   Goring, Daniel; Eerkens, Jelmer W.; Canzonieri, Chris; Zwierlein, Irenne; Zimmer, Michelle; Bartelink, Eric J. (November 2020, Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology)

   null (Ed.)

   This article reports new carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope data for 10 individuals on the San Francisco Peninsula from CA-SMA-78 (Hamilton Mound 20; n = 6), CA-SMA-160 (Hiller Mound; n = 3), and a previously unrecorded site in downtown San Mateo (n = 1). We also report seven new bone collagen accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates, three from CA-SMA-78 that fall during the Early-Middle Transition and early Middle Period (ca. 2,400 and 1,700 cal BP), three from CA-SMA-160 that fall during the late Middle and Middle-Late Transition periods (ca. 1,080 and 770 cal BP), and one from the unrecorded site that falls during the Late Middle Period (ca. 1,260 cal BP). Dietary isotopes show a bimodal pattern, with most individuals (n = 8) consuming a mixed marine-terrestrial diet and two a terrestrial-dominant diet (n = 2). We propose two hypotheses to explain this variation, the first suggesting independent family-level hunting and gathering territories combined with little intra-group sharing of food, and the second suggesting exogamous marriage patterns with people migrating from regions to the south. Future isotopic research could provide support for one (or both) of these hypotheses. 

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2. A late Wisconsin (32–10k cal a BP) history of pluvials, droughts and vegetation in the Pacific south‐west United States (Lake Elsinore, CA)

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3018  

   Kirby, M. E.; Heusser, L.; Scholz, C.; Ramezan, R.; Anderson, M. A.; Markle, B.; Rhodes, E.; Glover, K. C.; Fantozzi, J.; Hiner, C.; et al (February 2018, Journal of Quaternary Science)

   ABSTRACT Continuous, sub‐centennially resolved, paleo terrestrial records are rare from arid environments such as the Pacific south‐west United States. Here, we present a multi‐decadal to centennial resolution sediment core (Lake Elsinore, CA) to reconstruct late Wisconsin pluvials, droughts and vegetation. In general, the late Wisconsin is characterized by a wetter and colder climate than during the Holocene. Specifically, conditions between 32.3 and 24.9k cal a BP are characterized by large‐amplitude hydrologic and ecologic variability. Highlighting this period is a ∼2000‐year glacial mega‐drought (27.6–25.7k cal a BP) during which the lake shallowed (3.2–4.5 m depth). This period is approximately coeval with a Lake Manix regression and an increase in xeric vegetation in the San Bernardino Mountains (Baldwin Lake). The Local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM) is bracketed between 23.3 and 19.7k cal a BP − a ∼3000‐year interval characterized by reduced run‐off (relative to the glacial), colder conditions and vegetative stability. Maximum sustained wetness follows the LLGM, beginning at 19.7 and peaking by 14.4k cal a BP. A two‐step decrease in runoff characterizes the Lateglacial to Holocene transition; however, the vegetation change is more complex, particularly at the beginning of the Younger Dryas chronozone. By 12.6–12.4k cal a BP, the climate achieved near Holocene conditions. 

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3. Stable Isotopic Analysis at the Ancestral Ohlone Site of Yakmuy ‘Ooyákma-Tka (“Place of the East Ridge Site”): A Comparative Study of Prehistoric Dietary Variation

   Alexandria M. Firenzi, Alina Tichinin (January 2022, Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology)

   We examine how Late Holocene people living at the ancestral Ohlone site of Yakmuy ‘Ooyákma-tka (“Place of the East Ridge Site” [CA-SCL-215]) interacted with their environment based on the foods they consumed. We examine dietary variation among 32 individuals buried at the site, located within the current city of San Jose. Radiocarbon dates indicate that Yakmuy ‘Ooyákma-tka spans the M4 phase of the Middle Period through the first half of the Middle to Late Period Transition (870 and 1170 ACE). This study examines carbon and nitrogen isotopes to provide insight into dietary variation, focusing especially on differences by sex and age. We show that Yakmuy ‘Ooyákma-tka inhabitants consumed mainly low trophic level resources, consistent with an almost entirely vegetarian based diet. Dietary variation among males and females follows a distinct life history pattern wherein dietary proteins increased markedly in females during their reproductive years and declined in their older years. 

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4. Stable isotope analysis of deer remains from Alameda County show the effects of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly

   Morey, Brooke; Eubanks, Jill; Eerkens, Jelmer W; Garibay, Ramona (October 2024, Proceedings of the Society for California Archaeology)

   To date, there have been no large-scale investigations of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) from a single site using stable isotopes, but CA-ALA-554 provides the perfect opportunity for such research. CA-ALA-554 is an ancestral Ohlone site in modern-day Pleasanton that yielded abundant deer remains across 83 burials. AMS radiocarbon dates indicate that people lived here and deposited the deer bones between 400 and 2,000 calibrated years before present. Our goal is to document shifts in deer ecology, especially diet and migratory behaviors, across this swath of time using isotopic signals. Analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes reveal overall similarity in diet across the sampled population, with slight variation between individuals. Notably, an increase in variation for both δ13C and δ15N is observed between 800 and 1,000 cal BP, indicating that deer were either diversifying their diet locally or coming to CA-ALA-554 from a greater variety of places during this time than they were either before or after. We argue that the increased variation reflects the ecological stress faced by both mule deer and people during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (650-1,220 cal BP), which forced one or both to alter their respective foraging and hunting practices. 

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5. Evaluating population histories in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, Chile, using ancient mitochondrial and Y‐chromosomal DNA

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24638  

   Balentine, Christina M.; Alfonso‐Durruty, Marta; Reynolds, Austin W.; Vilar, Miguel; Morello, Flavia; Román, Manuel San; Springs, Lauren C.; Smith, Rick W. A.; Archer, Samantha M.; Mata‐Míguez, Jaime; et al (November 2022, American Journal of Biological Anthropology)

   Abstract ObjectivesThis study aims to characterize the genetic histories of ancient hunter‐gatherer groups in Fuego‐Patagonia (Chile) with distinct Marine, Terrestrial, and Mixed Economy subsistence strategies. Mitochondrial (mtDNA) and Y‐chromosome data were generated to test three hypotheses. H₀: All individuals were drawn from the same panmictic population; H₁: Terrestrial groups first populated the region and gave rise to highly specialized Marine groups by ~7,500 cal BP; or H₂: Marine and Terrestrial groups represent distinct ancestral lineages who migrated independently into the region. MethodsAncient DNA was extracted from the teeth of 50 Fuegian‐Patagonian individuals dating from 6,895 cal BP to after European arrival, and analyzed alongside other individuals from previous studies. Individuals were assigned to Marine, Terrestrial, and Mixed Economy groups based on archeological context and stable isotope diet inferences, and mtDNA (HVR1/2) and Y‐chromosome variation was analyzed. ResultsEndogenous aDNA was obtained from 49/50 (98%) individuals. Haplotype diversities, F_STcomparisons, and exact tests of population differentiation showed that Marine groups were significantly different from Terrestrial groups based on mtDNA (p < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were found between Terrestrial and Mixed Economy groups. Demographic simulations support models in which Marine groups diverged from the others by ~14,000 cal BP. Y‐chromosome results showed similar patterns but were not statistically significant due to small sample sizes and allelic dropout. DiscussionThese results support the hypothesis that Marine and Terrestrial economic groups represent distinct ancestral lineages who diverged during the time populations were expanding in the Americas, and may represent independent migrations into Fuego‐Patagonia. 

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