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Reassessing the Traditional Interpretation of “Manioc” Artifacts in the Orinoco Valley of Venezuela

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Linda Perry
Linda Perry*
Affiliation:
Archaeobiology Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution MRC 112, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012. (perryli@si.edu)
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Abstract

There exists general consensus in the archaeological literature that bitter manioc was a staple crop in precontact agricultural systems in the lowlands of South America. This view is based upon the indirect evidence derived from archaeological ceramic and lithic assemblages rather than archaeobotanical evidence, the preserved remains of bitter manioc itself. Studies of microlithic “manioc” grater flakes from Pozo Azul Norte-1, a site located in the middle Orinoco valley of Venezuela, reveal a much more complex function of these artifacts involving the processing of several starchy roots including arrowroot, guapo, yam, and ginger, as well as seeds including maize and possibly palm. The starch and use-wear data collected in these investigations indicate that archaeobotanical data are a more reliable means of assessing the function of these tools than are ethnographic analogues.

Hay consenso en la literatura arqueológica de que la yuca amarga constituía un cultivo importante en los sistemas agrícolas de las tierras bajas de Sudamérica anteriores al contacto. Esto se basa en evidencia indirecta aportada por las colecciones cerámicas y líticas arqueológicas y no tanto en la evidencia arqueobotánica, es decir en los restos preservados de la yuca misma. Los estudios en microlascas procedentes de ralladores de “yuca amarga” del sitio Pozo Azul Norte-1, ubicado en la cuenca del Orinoco medio de Venezuela, demuestran una función mucho más compleja para esta clase de artefactos, involucrando el procesamiento de varias raíces harinosas como arruruz, guapo, ñame, y jengibre, así como de semillas incluyendo maíz y posiblemente palma. Datos sobre granos de almidón y trazas de uso recopilados en esta investigación indican que la evidencia arqueobotánica resulta más confiable a la hora de averiguar la función de estas herramientas que aquella basada en analogías etnográficas.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , December 2005 , pp. 409 - 426
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 by the Society for American Archaeology.

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