Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Anthropology (Cultural Heritage Option)

Department or School/College

Department of Anthropology

Committee Chair

Anna Marie Prentiss, PhD.

Commitee Members

Anna Marie Prentiss, PhD., Douglas MacDonald, PhD., Fernando Sanchez-Trigueros, PhD.,

Abstract

Several field seasons at the Bridge River Archaeological Site have recovered a vast faunal assemblage subject of numerous archaeological and genetic investigations, several of which have focused on potential roles of domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). In order to examine the highly fractured nature of the Housepit 54 canid assemblage, the calculation of a fracture freshness index was performed which created quantitative units of measure useful in the comparison of bone fracture taphonomy over time and across taxonomic groups. This method has been employed specifically to investigate the potential for exploitation of within-bone nutrients among both a sample of artiodactyl long bones and the HP 54 canid assemblage. Additionally, a taphonomic analysis of all sampled remains was performed to provide further context. Analyses of these remains indicated two distinct patterns between dogs and artiodactyls. It appears that deer, bighorn sheep, and / or mountain goats were consistently hunted and their bones processed for marrow and bone grease. The consistency of this practice remained generally stable throughout the occupational history of the house, with a potential intensification during a demographic transition between the BR 2 and BR 3 periods. Dogs here were most likely not subject to the same intensive processing for food yet still may have been consumed in at least several instances during the same transitional period. It also appears that the remains of some dogs were scavenged by other dogs after death. While this study finds that the dogs of HP 54 most closely resemble the profile of village dogs, extensive global ethnographic accounts and contemporary studies of village dogs demonstrate that they too can offer unique benefits. It may be that the HP 54 saw success in a balance between conserving stored food resources by passively maintaining a population of village dogs and provisioning select dogs for more active roles when it was effective and economical to do so. Here, dogs could have simultaneously served as controllers of village waste, watch dogs, companions, haulers of goods, and valuable hunting partners in addition to serving in ritual practices and as symbols of wealth and prestige.

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© Copyright 2025 Daniel O. Nohren