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Towards A Sustainable Approach: Canid Isotopic Dietary Signatures

KTH 109

24/10/2018, 3:30 pm - TO 24/10/2018 - 5:00 pm

Organizer: Anthropology

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Dr. Bonnie Glencross and Dr. Gary Warrick, Wilfrid Laurier University

In 2016, anthropologists from Wilfrid Laurier University and
McMaster University initiated a collaborative project to develop
a canid isotopic dietary proxy for exploring past human diets. It
involved the isotopic analysis of bone collagen from 48 dogs from
five Huron-Wendat village sites (A.D. 1250-1650) in southern Ontario,
Canada, for the purpose of characterizing canid diet. Preliminary
results show inter and intra-site variation, and temporal trends
are similar to those observed in human isotopic signatures from the
same Huron-Wendat villages. Our results are interpreted within the
context of a rich ethnographic record that clearly documents the close
connection between humans and dogs, and the varied roles of dogs
as companions and participants in hunting, ceremonies, and rituals.