Shellfish and the Chumash: Marine Invertebrates and Complex Hunter-Gatherers on Late Holocene San Miguel Island,California

Abstract

Marine resources played an important role in fostering high population densities and cultural complexity among North American hunter-gatherers. In California, several researchers have emphasized the relationship among increases in fishing, marine mammal hunting, the development of more efficient watercraft, and increased sociopolitical complexity. Largely absent from discussions of emergent complexity is the changing role of shellfish in human subsistence economies. Analyzing marine shell from 12 Late Holocene sites on San Miguel Island, we illustrate the importance of shellfish in island subsistence economies and the evolution of Chumash complexity. The dietary importance of shellfish protein declined through time, but the density of shellfish remains increased dramatically in Late Holocene archaeological sites, suggesting that shellfish provided an important supplement to the higher yields of finfish and helped fuel growing human populations and sociopolitical complexity.