Towards a respectful ethnoarchaeological practice: zoo archaeological materials and biocultural heritage.

In quite a few ethnobiological works, zooarchaeological data is needed to explain long lasting cultural processes. Even though such information is used for the configuration of the registry related to the techno-economic issues of old societies, the ethnoarchaeological point of view is patriculary much more useful in countries where there is a great variety of indigenous societies wich, along with the profuse historical data, becomes quite useful in ethnobiological research. It is normally thought that the validity of the analogies established by the ethnoachaeological point of view does not come from the similarity between the source (present society) and the subject (old society), but rather from the logical structure of the arguments and similarity of the terms of the relationship. However. when dealing with alive societies, this must be subject to ethical rules and must not develop any kind of study without the consent of the social beings involved.