Preliminary Analysis of Ichthyofaunal Remains from The Tule Creek Village site (CA-SNI-25): Ecology and Technology

Archaeological evidence from the California Channel Islands has provided insight on the important role fish played in daily human subsistence practices. San Nicolas Island is home to a rich and diverse marine environment containing the largest kelp forest along the Southern California Bight. This study focuses on fish data from a late Holocene site, Tule Creek Village (CA-SNI-25), which contains residential features and a ceremonial complex. A detailed examination of the ecology of fishes present at CA-SNI-25 will allow for a comprehensive understanding of human harvesting at this site encompassing discussions of fishing technology and human procurement strategies. We provide a baseline of human-fish relationships from archaeological data collected from other Channel Island sites and link this data to the functionality and advances in regional fishing technology. By understanding human-fish relationships in a chronological context, we begin to explore large-scale patterns of fish harvesting practices along the Southern California Bight.