Birds of a feather stick: Microscopic feather residues on stone artifacts from Deep Creek Shelter, New South Wales

Abstract

There is considerable ethnographic literature on th e capture and use of birds and their feathersby Aboriginal people, but there is little evidence for their use in the distant past. While birdbones and feathers have been found in archaeological sites in Australia, bones are often toofragmented for identification and cultural associati on for feathers is often difficult to establish.This paper discusses microscopic features of feathers used in feather identification anddemonstrates the significance of this methodology in archaeological residue analysis.Microscopic residue and use-wear analysis is applied to 41 backed stone artefacts from DeepCreek Shelter dated to between approximately 3,500 BP and 1,000 BP. Of these, at least nineartefacts had traces indicating f eather use and/or processing. Taxonomic identification to OrderAnseriformes (ducks, geese, swans) was possible in two cases, and for one of these, a morespecific identification to duck (sub-Family Anatinae).