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ref: Before Farming 2005/2 article 8
Guest
editorial
The archaeology of South American hunter-gatherers
The archaeology of South American hunter-gatherers is
not very well known. However, in recent years these
studies have entered into a new and dynamic phase (Dillehay
2000; Politis 2003; Scheinsohn 2003), of which the four
papers that follow constitute a good sample.
In
the first place, some of the papers present an awareness
of the difficulties of interpretation of the archaeological
record. Consequently they include taphonomic and site
formation perspectives as an aid in the process of interpretation
of the archaeological record. This inclusion constitutes
an important step toward the construction of a robust
South American archaeology.
The study by Mondini of modern carnivores in the Puna,
including the distribution of its material remains,
constitutes a necessary first step for a project dealing
with human populations that use caves as part of their
settlement systems. There are many reasons, including
that many times carnivores and humans alternately select
the same places to live, or that abandoned sites are
attractive for carnivores. In previous years, many sites
with long and important sequences were interpreted without
the benefit of taphonomic insight (ie, Fernández
Distel 1974; Hurt et al 1976). In the future is going
to be more and more difficult to proceed in that way.
Biogeography
is basic to the papers authored by Muñoz and
by Neme, Gil and Durán. The former is focused
on the archaeofaunal record of the island of Tierra
del Fuego, discussing possible peculiarities derived
from insularity. Neme, Gil and Durán, on the
other hand, explore some significant differences in
altitude for human subsistence in southern Mendoza,
near the Andean Range. Both explore the effects of barriers
on human populations, and try to assess ways of dealing
with their archaeological analysis.
The
paper by Aceituno Bocanegra and Castillo Espitia concentrates
on the efficacy of mobility for hunter-gatherers living
in tropical rainforests. This efficacy is derived, at
least in part, from the requirements of the maintenance
of biodiversity. In this light, they suggest that these
societies only changed toward a more sedentary lifestyle
as a result of the necessity to maintain territories.
As
a whole, these four papers share more than a focus on
South America, and they testify to the wider interests
of the South American community of archaeologists.
Luis A Borrero
Associate editor
July
2005
© Western Academic & Specialist Press Ltd 2005
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