Archaeology and Proteins

Extract

Increasingly, Americanist archaeologists are tackling problems relating not only to broad ecological adaptations of the peoples whose cultures they study but also to more specific considerations such as dietary patterns. The amount of light which archaeological data can shed is unknown, but the potential is increasingly probed for enlightening clues. Current ethnographic work in New Guinea prompts the following comments concerning 1) degree of exploitation of available protein sources; and 2) social restrictions influencing protein intake.

Sources of concentrated protein available to the Agarabi are not large. However, they are exploited to such an extent that the diet is not as deficient in protein foods as a superficial view would suggest. Pigs, although highly valued, are not plentiful nor are they eaten in large quantities. Wild fowl and small mammals, again not abundant, are eagerly hunted and consumed. Finally, a wide variety of worms and insects are caught and eaten.