Faunal Analysis

Faunal analysis is the process of describing what kinds of food people ate at a traditional village site by examining the faunal remains. Faunal remains are the bones, teeth, hair, shellfish and other animal parts found.

Glossary terms: Faunal Remains.

The faunal remains at the Kosapsom traditional village site showed a dependence on shellfish, fish, mammals and birds. The fish remains were from herring, anchovy, dogfish, salmon, stickleback, cod and flatfish species. The bones of the land mammals were sawn bones of animals like deer and elk. The birds harvested were of the duck and loon variety. The remains of sea mammals included sea lion, beaver, and seal.

Glossary terms: Species.

In some strata, salmon vertebrae (bones of the spine) were found. This is because salmon vertebrae are very thick bones and preserve well. They do not rot as quickly as the delicate cranial (head) bones.

Glossary terms: Strata.

Screening:

Screening is one technique of discovering what people ate hundreds of years from evidence at a archaeological dig. At Kosapsom, the field excavators used a combination of 1/4" and 1/8" screens to recover artifacts. Studies have shown that when using a coarser mesh the large artifacts and bones are found, but small artifacts, such as herring and anchovy bones, beads, microblades and worked mussel shell are lost. At a site like Kosapsom, microblades are an important type of artifact. Water is run through the screens to wash the dirt from the artifacts so that bone is easily recognized from pebbles and twigs.

Glossary terms: Microblade, Worked.