Abstract
This study explores the feasibility of using strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analyses of enamel from domestic dogs (Canis familiaris)
to investigate networks of exchange in the prehistoric
Circum-Caribbean. Dog teeth were obtained from burial and domestic
contexts from two prehistoric sites (Anse à la Gourde and Morel) on
Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe (Lesser Antilles). Strontium isotope results
were compared with local biosphere 87Sr/86Sr data
at the scale of the site, island and archipelago. The isotope results
indicate both local and nonlocal origins with three dogs (30%)
identified as nonlocal (one from Anse à la Gourde and two from Morel).
The variance in 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the nonlocal
dog teeth is consistent with diverse multiple origins external to the
island of Grande-Terre but consistent with origins from other islands of
the Lesser Antilles. The diverse origins of the nonlocal dog samples
indicate that the prehistoric circulation of dogs occurred at multiple
scales from regional to long distance. Significantly, the 87Sr/86Sr
ratios of some of the dog teeth are comparable with values of nonlocal
humans at Anse à la Gourde determined in previous studies. It is
possible that these comparable 87Sr/86Sr ratios
result from similar natal origins, for example if individuals were
migrating to Guadeloupe with dogs. The results of this study contribute
to an ongoing regional investigation of the economic, social and
political roles of animals and animal remains and the multiscalar
networks of prehistoric mobility and exchange in the Circum-Caribbean
region. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
