Archaeologica.org

extremely proficient at making jam! Very Happy

And very nice it is too!

Roy.

On the one hand, we have the last of Homo n.
In possession of a pretty sophisticated palate,
Which includes seals and dolphins.
Now, seals, I can possibly see as a shore-based kill,
Maybe just.
But Dolphins are a fast moving pelagic offshore mammal.
The idea that dolphin corpses just regularly
Washed onshore, and were then utilized,
In whatever state of rot, by Homo n.,
Is absurd.

John, I find it interesting that the article points out how HN and Inuits skinned seals in an identical manner,
but it stops short of mentioning that the Inuits were/are a marine (i.e. boating) culture. I am not certain
how occasionally stranded dolphins would make up a portion of the HN palate, as you mentioned,
since nothing smells worse than a dead animal on the beach. And they're taking it home for dinner?

These HN may have trapped dolphins with nets, used boats, or possibly both. Maybe the author could start
thinking about marine innovation?

Even if you don't posses a harpoon, and a wounded Dolphin would be quite a handful IMO, they can be driven ashore to strand themselves.
Lots of meat in exchange for a good soaking!

Roy.

Digit wrote:Even if you don't posses a harpoon, and a wounded Dolphin would be quite a handful IMO, they can be driven ashore to strand themselves.
Lots of meat in exchange for a good soaking!

Roy.

Digit -

Here's an interesting thing, for which I can't quite yet find

A reputable reference.

" Ainu people of Hokkaido (northern Japan) and Sahalin (Russia) islands based their alimentation on hunting and fishing. They used monoxylon (made of one trunk) canoes and fished with harpoons. The monoxylons were 8 m (26 ft) long and 0.5 m (1.5 ft) wide. The harpoon's detachable tip was ointed with poison.

The most peculiar Ainu fishing was with dogs. A great number of dogs were trained for this; they brought to the shore the captured fish. Usually, the Ainu employed two dog teams made of 20-30 individuals. At a signal, the dogs, found at a 200 m (660 ft) distance one from the other swam in columns into the sea, and at another signal, the two groups approached each other, heading to the shore. The fish caught in the middle were headed to the shore, frightened by the noise made by the dogs. In shallow waters, the dogs captured them easily with their mouth. The dogs were recompensed with fish heads.

Ainu used to hunt seals, walruses, whales and sea turtles, but also collected crabs, lobsters, mussels, clams. They always cooked their food on the ember. Traditional food consisted of chestnuts mixed with fish eggs. They also smoked fish. Dishes were made of tree bark and food was kept on wooden recipients."

Now, an 8 metre canoe with a .5 metre beam is an impossibility;

Therefore my suspicion about the fact of this link.

Let alone putting twenty dogs on board.

My information tells me that the Ainu used both dugouts,

For small boats,

And some variation of sewn plank on frame for their bigger craft.

Obviously, the bigger craft - about 10 metres -

Had a beam which allowed them to be seaworthy

While carrying a lot of cargo.

Now, most dogs can swim very well.

Here's a real story - when I was in my early 'teens,

We lived in Minnesota, and rented a house in St. Paul.

The owner of the house had a couple vacation cabins on

One of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes, Rice Lake, to be specific,

And we would vacation there.

Owner also had a Dachsund, who would perch for hours

At the end of the small boat dock, peering into the water.

When an appropriate fish swam by, said Dachsund would

Dive off the dock, grab fish in jaws, and paddle to

The shore to happily munch fish.

So, in theory, fish herding by dog is possible.

I just dont have any real backup for it, yet.




hoka hey


john

I just think that you'd have to have some type of harpoon to hunt sea mammals. For no other reason than you need to pull your kill back to the boat...or shore and quickly before a shark or killer whale came to investigate.

Not with Dolphins Min, they can be driven ashore by making lots of noise and disturbance in the water. Not that that means they did not posses harpoons of course.
An 18 inch wide log does sound somewhat unstable John.

Roy.

Digit wrote:Not with Dolphins Min, they can be driven ashore by making lots of noise and disturbance in the water. Not that that means they did not posses harpoons of course.
An 18 inch wide log does sound somewhat unstable John.

Roy.

Digit -

Here's a link..........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_drive_hunting

Now, obviously this practise is a political caterwaul,

Similar to the treaty rights of the Makah Indians

To hunt whale here in the Northwest.

Disregard that.

What is interesting

Is the huge geographical dispersal of this technique.

The Faroe Islands?

Now -

To call upon One of My Favorite Plaints:

Do we have Multiple Independent Invention here or

Dispersal of a successful techne.

If you argue the second, then it is quite possible

That the techne originated with Homo n.

Backing this up, of course,

Is the point that modern Inuit and Homo n.

Butchered seals with identical technique.

Hmmmm......

Food for thought.


hoka hey

john