Title: The fauna from Weston Canyon Rockshelter, southeastern Idaho: A zooarchaeological analysis and implications for past human subsistence

Program: Anthropology MA

Committee Chair: Allison Wolfe

Committee: Allison Wolfe, Rob Mann, Kristin Snopkowski

Abstract: Weston Canyon Rockshelter is a site in southeastern Idaho that has been inhabited by humans from over 8,000 years BP until the historic period. The site has been excavated previously in 1969, and is the subject of two reports. The first (Delisio, 1970) focuses on the lithic and cultural material from the rockshelter, and the second (Miller, 1972) on the faunal remains. Since these reports, previously unidentified faunal specimens have been catalogued, necessitating a reanalysis of the zooarchaeological material from the site. Using prey choice models and Optimal Foraging Theory as a framework, this study makes use of artiodactyl indices to assess the hunting patterns of human groups, and how these changed over time. Weston Canyon shows a slight decline in the index, although notably this is not linked to an overall decrease in the number of artiodactyls present. A shift in site use could be one explanation for the pattern seen at Weston Canyon, with a change towards longer-term settlements driving changes in foraging behaviors that may have ultimately led to the depression of artiodactyl stocks. A change in climate, as has been documented elsewhere in the Great Basin and Snake River Plain. More information is needed to explain the patterns seen in greater detail.