Reconstructing childhood and adulthood diets from a Caribbean population using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of dentin and bone collagen

The purpose of this study was to establish stable carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotope signatures for the 43 individuals in this study population using bone and dentin collagen, and extrapolate the isotopic data to dietary regimes using historical and archaeological evidence as indirect baseline data. This research used stable isotope analysis to reconstruct the diets of 43 individuals recovered from the archaeological site of Sainte-Marguerite on the island of Guadeloupe in the West Indies. This site was excavated in response to severe erosion that threatened it. The site has been dated to the colonial era (circa A.D. 1800) and has been identified as a possible slave burial ground. This study continues previous research conducted in the region by Varney (2003). The bone collagen from 16 individuals and dentin samples from all 43 individuals were isolated in this study and analysed. Isotopic data for bone collagen from 27 of the 43 individuals taken from the study by Varney (2003). C and N isotope signatures were analyzed to compare changes in diet over the course of an individual's life. There was a substantial change in diet from childhood to adulthood for 20 of the 43 individuals. This shift in diet was reflected in an increase in delta15N values and a positive shift in delta 13C values compared to the dentin isotope signatures. No significant differences based on age or sex could be identified. The majority of individuals were consuming a mixed C3 and C4 diet. This is consistent with historic accounts that indicate staple grains like maize and millet were consumed in large proportions along with root crops such as cassava. The individuals in this population are thought to be slaves from the region because of their isotopic values that correspond with predicted dietary ranges for slaves in that region. The dentin dietary signatures reflect a variety of dietary ranges that reflect multiple regions of origin. The observed dietary changes in 20 of the 43 individuals may reflect geographic movement related to their enslaved status.;There were also four individuals with dental modification, a practice common in Africa during colonial times, who show significant dietary difference between childhood and adult signatures reflecting a probable geographic movement during life from Africa to the West Indies.