TAXONOMY AND TAPHONOMY OF BONE REMNANTS OF UNGULATES FROM THE AWÁ-GUAJÁ COLLECTION OF THE STATE OF MARANHÃO, BRAZIL

Abstract

The Awá-Guajá community is one of the last hunter-gatherer communities that have hunting as a traditional subsistence activity. The material analyzed refers to a faunal assemblage composed of vertebrates from the discarded community located in the Caru Indigenous Land, in the State of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil. The present study examined from a taxonomic and taphonomic point of view with the purpose of gathering data for interpretation of the processes acting in its genesis, using qualitative and quantitative methods. The main target of the research were the ungulates, families Cervidae, Tayassuidae and Tapiridae, which showed a large amount of bones in different types of preservation and evidence of human activity, resulting in bones with cut and burning marks, in addition to indicating the food preference of the community by Tayassuidae of the Pecari tajacu species, but there was no preference for some species of Cervidae and Tapiridae. There was no cultural activity involving ungulate remains (such as bone tools or ornamentation) and cuts and marks are related to preparation and consumption.