Combining quantification, sex, age, and utility patterns to interpret two dugong bone mounds from Woeydhul Island (Western Torres Strait, Australia)

Abstract

The analysis of dugong bone mounds in the Torres Strait Islands has traditionally focused on ritualized deposition and treatment of remains, the distinction between formalized ritual and midden refuse, and their socio-political and spiritual role within Torres Strait Islander seascapes. Research has consistently targeted the abundance of specific skeletal elements in a mound, with interpretations frequently based on the calculation of common quantitative units (i.e., NISP and MNI) or relative weight to assess proportional representation. Far less research has focused on the taphonomic history and processes embodied by these mounds. This paper presents a novel zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of dugong bone mounds where qualitative and quantitative data are combined. Through the analysis of two assemblages from Woeydhul Island (Western Torres Strait, Australia), this paper provides inferences regarding deposition time span and formalized depositional behaviors. Our research examines the age distribution of represented animals and differential butchery practices associated with anatomical provenance, while also suggesting new methods for identification of sex ratios in these assemblages. Our results provide new approaches to investigate dugong hunting by past Torres Strait communities, proposing the combination of sex, butchery patterns, and meat utility indices to interpret the meaning of dugong bone mounds in the Western Torres Strait.