Native American use of cetaceans in pre-contact Oregon: Biomolecular and taphonomic analyses illuminate human-cetacean relationships: MALDI-TOF data

<b>Abstract</b><br/><p><span lang="EN-US">This study characterizes how Native Americans living on the Oregon coast used whales and small cetaceans prior to European contact. We present an original analysis of a large subsample of archaeological cetacean remains from the Palmrose (35CLT47) site and new identifications from the previously analyzed Par-Tee (35CLT20) and Tahkenitch Landing (35DO130) sites. Using zooarchaeological and biomolecular analyses we report species presence and modification patterns to characterize use. Grays (<em>Eschrichtius</em> <em>robustus</em>) and humpbacks (<em>Megaptera</em> <em>novaeangliae</em>) were the most commonly identified whale species and a preferred source of food, oil, bone for tool manufacture, and possibly ligaments for sinew. Dolphins and porpoises, especially harbor porpoise (<em>Phocoena</em> <em>phocoena</em>), were a source of food and possibly bone for tool manufacture. While opportunistic hunting may have occurred, the presence of species such as blue (<em>Balaenoptera</em> <em>musculus</em>) and Cuvier’s beaked (<em>Ziphius</em> <em>cavirostris</em>) whales suggest collection of beached animals was an important acquisition strategy. Our study demonstrates the value of biomolecular analyses for improved species identifications/understanding of species richness, and the value of zooarchaeological analysis to fully understand dietary and cultural contributions of cetaceans to precontact lifeways on the Oregon coast.</span></p>