| Abstract: |
The purpose of this paper is to document the variety of fauna that the occupants of the Gua Sambangoala rockshelter interacted with and relied on for subsistence during the period 5500 to 3500 years ago. The faunal sample was recovered during excavation. Taxonomic frequencies and abundance were calculated using NISP (Number of Individual Specimens) and MNI (Minimum Number of Individuals). During the mid-Holocene period, the Sambangoala rockshelter inhabitants shared their environment with many endemic animals, including fish, toads/frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, bear cuscus, Sulawesi dwarf cuscus, bats, monkeys, rats, squirrels, civet cats, pig-deer (babirusa), Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) and Anoa water buffaloes. The larger of these animals were hunted by the forager inhabitants, whereas the smaller animals represented in the assemblage may have been taken by non-human predators. The identified fauna reflects surrounding environmental conditions that included open grasslands, valleys, karstic hills and wet rainforest habitat, suggesting that the mid-Holocene environment near the site was similar to todays.
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