Stable isotope analysis of human tissue can provide information about diet
independent of artifactual remains. Food is broken down and used in the synthesis
of body tissue, so the isotopic composition of hair keratin reflects the isotopic
composition of foods consumed. Therefore, the analysis of hair can provide a
window into broad dietary practices, and this view can supplement the information
that is inferred from artifacts such as hunting tools and hearths.
This project details the use of historic Plains Indians hair as a sample material for
carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis. A minimum specimen size of a 2-cm (l00-
150 μg) segment of a strand was established. This indicates that small hair
fragments found in archeological excavations can be informative. It also allowed
the testing of up to 12 sequential segments from strands up to 24 cm long. Since
hair grows about 1 cm per month, a 24-cm strand provided about a 2-yr record of
isotopes and diet. The isotopic variations along some strands were as high as
0.49‰ for δ¹⁵N and 1.05‰ for δ¹³C, exceeding the background analytical
uncertainty of 0.22‰ for δ¹⁵N and 0.2l‰ for δ¹³C. Differences between
individuals and between population groups also exceeded this background level,
validating the use of this isotope technique in discriminating isotopic differences
between hairs and between people.
No isotopic differences were found between males and females, and no isotopic
differences were found based on the age of the individual. This suggests that there
are no physiological differences by gender or age affecting isotope metabolism,
which means that should a study find an isotopic difference between men and
women, it would reflect dietary differences, not physiological ones.
Isotope testing produced distinct isotope profiles (δ¹⁵N vs. δ¹³C) for two cultural
groups, the Lower Brule reservation Sioux of 1892 and the reservation Blackfoot of
1892 and 1935. The resultant dietary profiles indicate a higher consumption of
meat by the Blackfoot and a higher consumption of corn by the Lower Brule. The
two groups of Blackfoot fit into the same profile despite the passage of several
decades. This raises the possibility that stable isotope analysis can also be used to
identify members of the same cultural population. / Graduation date: 2003
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/28458 |
| Date | 23 September 2002 |
| Creators | Roy, Diana Milantia |
| Contributors | Bonnichsen, Robson |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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