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168 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY
bones recovered from Deer Creek, Oklahoma, it
was clear that some of the bones were in a fragile
state of preservation. The eventual interpretation
of bone material excavated from that site will
require consideration of the effects of chemical
attrition.
Anataxic factors have been described for fossil
localities (e.g., Hanson, 1980; Wolff, 1973), but
similar models have not been produced for cultural
materials.
Biotic, Thanatic, and Cultural Bias
Much of the work done in the Plains recognizes
the effects of these biases on bone assemblages.
Semken (1971; 1974) has worked extensively to
reconstruct the biotic communities in which the
Plains peoples lived through the analysis of microfauna
found in their sites. Considerable effort
also has been expanded to understand the history
of bison on the Plains and how it affected the
zooarcheological record (e.g., Dillehay, 1974;
Gordon, 1979; Gunnerson, 1972). One of the most
extensive sections of the literature deals with
thanatic bias. Bone remains from numerous bison
kill sites have been published and the evidence
analyzed for patterns of selective hunting and
butchering techniques (Davis and Wilson, 1978).
Two smaller topics can be used to illustrate the
process of estimating cultural bias. Ubelaker and
Wedel (1975:450-451) suggest "that cut bird
skulls, wing and leg bones, and perhaps talons
found in such deposits, particularly if in close
proximity to one another, may indicate one-time
Character
Skull
Axial skeleton
Wing
Leg
Total parts
observed
medicine objects rather than the by-products of
the more mundane food quests." Parmalee's
(1977) report provides an opportunity to examine
this suggestion. If bird carcasses were being processed
to provide skin, head, and talon ornaments,
it would be expected that bird skeletons would
be differentially preserved in habitation debris.
In particular the leg bones of the raptors would
be preserved as would their skulls and the skulls
of crows and ravens. The axial skeleton would be
underrepresented. The data presented in Parmalee's
report (1977:208, table 4) were regrouped
for the four most common bird families into four
skeletal parts: skull, axial skeleton, wing, and leg
(Table 2). The chi-square statistic computed for
Table 2, 73.4, indicates that the variation in the
table entries is greater than would be expected
from random variation. The table shows that the
three largest deviations from expected values are
the abundance of crow and raven heads (Corvidae),
the abundance of hawk and eagle legs (Accipitridae),
and the relative lack of duck, goose,
or swan feet (Anatidae). The abundance of crow
and raven heads and hawk and eagle legs agrees
with the suggestions made above, and indicates
that differential processing activity can be preserved
in the faunal record although such other
potential biases as sullegic or trephic factors cannot
be rigorously excluded. In addition, while the
values do not vary between species, the number
of bones of the axial skeleton is small for all forms.
Wedel (1970:17) mentions the hunting of rodents
on the Plains:
TABLE 2.—Distribution of the skeletal parts for four bird families on the basis of samples
studied by Parmalee (1977:208, table 4) (O = observed; E = expected X"^ = 73.4)
0
16
27
339
71
453
Anatidae
E
15.2
20.0
294.5
123.3
X^
0.04
2.5
6.7
22.2
0
32
42
633
352
1059
Accipitrid le
E
35.5
46.7
688 6
288.2
X''
0.35
0.47
4.5
14.1
0
2
14
220
100
336
Tetraonidae
E
11.3
14.8
218.5
91.5
X^
7.6
0.05
0.01
0.80
0
26
17
282
94
419
Corvidae
E X^
14.1 10.2
18.5 0.12
272.4 0.34
114.1 3.5