Pre-colonial groups from Brazilian coast and sharks: first glimpse on a complex relationship through the case study of the shallow site Rio do Meio, Santa Catarina (original) (raw)

2019, Cadernos do Lepaarq

The excavation of the coastal shallow site Rio do Meio (500-700 years cal BP, Santa Catarina, Brazil) made available a large faunal collection with a particularly interesting frequency of shark remains. Considering all the identified faunal fragments, the centra and teeth of sharks participate with 15% of the remains, being the third most important element behind the bones of fish and shells. The high frequency of shark remains led to the questioning of the dietary value of this resource for coastal groups, fishing and processing techniques, as well as issues associated with their interaction with the supply territory. In this sense, the high frequency of Whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) in association with shark remains at the Rio do Meio site suggests fishing strategies with non-aleatory choices, which may be related to geographic and environmental conditions, as well as to the interspecies interactions. These reflections provide new elements for discussions on diet and territory exploration for subsistence activities, and their implications in terms of spacial movement by these fisher-hunter-gatherer groups.