Stones, bones and reeds operating chains in manufacture and use of artifacts for the production of basketry in the societies of Tierra del Fuego

Abstract

Many ethnographers and travellers have described the hunter-gatherer societies of Tierradel Fuego. In these records, there are references to different types of stone and bone tools,as well as to different products made with reeds and skin. Although not preserved inthe archaeological record, the techno-functional analysis of lithic and bone materials hasprovided information about the technology and use of these perishable materials.Basketry is an activity which leaves no direct evidence in the archaeological record inour region. For this reason, we undertook this work in order to develop an experimentalprogram concerning production and use of lithic and bone instruments involved in thedifferent operating chains interlinked in the process of reeds weaving. Our study usesan analytical approach that combines morphological and techno-functional analysis,ethnographic recording and experimental research. We believe that this work can help tounderstand how are interlinked the different operating chains involved in manufactureand use of instruments for the production of other goods, especially when dealing withperishable materials that only have indirect evidence in the archaeological record.