Differential mortuary treatment among the Andean Chinchorro fishers: Social inequalities or in situ regional cultural evolution?

Fifteen mummies from four cemeteries used by the Chinchorro, an early Andean hunter-gatherer fishing society, were radio-carbon dated to determine whether differences in mortuary treatment & styles of mummification were the result of social inequalities or evolutionary cultural changes. Distinct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current anthropology 2005-08, Vol.46 (4), p.662-671
Main Authors: ARRIAZA, Bernardo T, DOUBRAVA, Matthew, STANDEN, Vivien G, HAAS, Herbert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Andes
Anthropology
Burials
Cemeteries
Cultural Change
Death Rituals
Fishermen
Fishing Communities
Funerals
Human paleontology
Hunting and Gathering Societies
Indigenous Populations
Mankind origin and evolution
Methodology and general studies
Prehistory
Prehistory and protohistory
Regions
Ritual
Social Inequality
South Amerindians
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Summary:Fifteen mummies from four cemeteries used by the Chinchorro, an early Andean hunter-gatherer fishing society, were radio-carbon dated to determine whether differences in mortuary treatment & styles of mummification were the result of social inequalities or evolutionary cultural changes. Distinctions between natural & artificial mummification & between black, red, & mud-coated styles of artificial mummification are pointed out. The criteria used to select mummies for sampling are detailed. Using the OxCal V3.5 calibration program (Ramsey 2000), the black style of mummification was shown to be the oldest & the red next oldest. The earliest cemeteries had only black & natural mummies while others contained black, red, & natural ones. Surprisingly, the natural mummies tended to cluster toward the end of the artificial mummification period. It was concluded that Chinchorro mortuary practices shifted from black to red &, contrary to earlier studies, mummification was applied selectively. Not everyone was artificially mummified in any period except for infants who always were. The results point to consideration of an ideological-circumstantial treatment of the dead. Tables, Figures, References. J. Lindroth
ISSN:0011-3204
1537-5382
DOI:10.1086/432747