Reinterpreting the use of Garfish (Family: Lepisosteidae) in the Archaeological Record of the American Southeast (original) (raw)

The zooarchaeological remains of garfish (Lepisosteidae) appear throughout the Southeastern United States from the Archaic through the late Prehistoric periods (ca. 8,000 BC - AD 1450) and have been predominantly interpreted as food remains or the residue of feasting events. However, ethnographic and ethnohistoric data from the region provide conflicting views on how these fish were used by Native Americans, and suggest a fresh examination of the role of gar is needed. By examining ethnohistoric accounts, modern ethnographic studies, and archaeofaunal remains we attempt to explore the full range of gar use in the ethnographic past and present, and suggest new interpretive possibilities for archaeologists faced with gar remains from prehistoric contexts.