Zooarchaeological Analysis

When it comes to enslaved Africans, the general public often only focus on their lives as slaves. In our effort to acknowledge the terrible ways that African slaves were mistreated, we often forget that, at the end of the day, slaves were still human beings, with their own beliefs, tastes, and culture. Unfortunately, most historical records do not document the daily lives and cultural practices of enslaved Africans due to their inherent biases (Young et al. 1998:168). Luckily, archaeology can be used to fill in the blanks of historical records to show that enslaved Africans are multifaceted individuals whose identity cannot be summed up with the term “slave”. Through the investigation of their diet and foodways, a more complete image of their …show more content…
By analysing faunal remains, information on the types and cuts of animals eaten and the methods they used to process and cook meat can be extrapolated. However, before discussing the results of this type of analysis, it is important to address certain pitfalls associated with the zooarchaeological record, and the archaeological record in general. The archaeological record is, by nature, incomplete. The cultural material that archaeologists study are but a fraction of what was first deposited. In the zooarchaeological record, taphonomic processes (i.e. carnivore gnawing) fragmentation, and cultural practices (i.e. sweeping) can compound pre-existing issues with the record and greatly affect the results of analysis (Heinrich 2012). It is important to seek out corroborative evidence, such as ethnographic information, and to be aware of the taphonomic processes that occur at sites in order to obtain the most accurate results possible (Heinrich 2012; Tuma …show more content…
Asides from pig, the two most common animals found are cattle and/or chicken (Battle-Baptiste 2007:241; Young 1997:109). Cattle bones seem to follow the same pattern as pig bones in that most identifiable remains are from the axial skeleton, again, indicating that they received lower quality cuts (Fairbanks 1984:3). In addition to domesticated animals, wild mammal species, such as opossum, raccoon, squirrel, groundhog, rabbit, etc., are often found in the zooarchaeological record at slave quarters (Battle-Baptiste 2007:241; Fairbanks 1984:3; Thomas 1998:542; Wilkie and Farnsworth 2005:215–216; Young 1997:109). However, the frequency at which wild species appear in the zooarchaeological record suggests that they were not a constant source of nutrition for enslaved Africans, but were eaten to supplement their diets (Young 1997:109). These wild species indicate a high level of skill in butchery on the part of enslaved Africans. This is especially the case with raccoons, which was considered a sweet meat by enslaved Africans, as they had to be careful to not prick the racoon’s musk glands on their haunches and back, which would give the meat an unpalatable taste and smell (Wilkie and Farnsworth