Berber Heritage and Coastal Economies in the Canary Islands
A recent academic study published in the journal PLOS ONE by researcher Jonathan Santana from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, alongside a team of investigators, has brought to light the significant role that coastal resources played in the economic systems of North African societies in historical contexts. The research is particularly noteworthy as it highlights newly discovered archaeological evidence indicating that the Berber population of this region had developed advanced fishing and preservation techniques as early as the 11th century AD. The findings suggest that the Canary Islands, which have been inhabited since the 1st century AD by people from Berber-speaking regions of northwest Africa, provide critical comparative data for understanding the evolution of coastal economies in Africa—a domain that remains underexplored in terms of marine adaptation processes.
Significant Discoveries at Playa Chica
The research team focused on archaeological evidence from the Playa Chica site located on the coast of Gran Canaria, which dates back to the 11th to 13th centuries. Among the significant findings were fish scales and goat horns believed to have been used as tools for scale extraction. Additionally, the team discovered remnants of plant materials that produce substantial smoke when burned, such as pine cones, indicating that the fish may have been smoked or dried for preservation purposes. The study pointed out that 'most of the fish remains belonged to species that live near the coast, suggesting that fishing predominantly occurred close to shore.' The presence of hooks made from pig tusks implies that the local inhabitants likely employed both net fishing and pole-and-line techniques.
The research findings underscore that 'coastal exploitation and processing of marine resources have always been fundamental pillars of the economic strategies of island societies.' This makes the Canary Islands an exceptional comparative case study, boasting a well-documented archaeological record of island populations that developed sophisticated coastal adaptations and advanced marine exploitation strategies. As the only Atlantic island archipelago populated by Berber-speaking communities from the neighboring continent, these islands provide a unique perspective on how North African societies adapted to and exploited marine environments during the late Holocene.
Moreover, the evidence from the Playa Chica site illustrates the long-term processes by which Berber communities in northwest Africa developed intricate coastal adaptations following their arrival in the Canary Islands. This trajectory mirrors documented patterns in other island contexts worldwide, where the structural limitations of low terrestrial biomass, combined with the high productivity of coastal ecosystems, facilitated a gradual intensification of marine exploitation. The findings conclude that the waters surrounding the Canary Islands were not merely a marginal resource exploited out of necessity; rather, they represented a central social space where specialized practices were actualized. Within this framework, Playa Chica stands as an archaeological manifestation of a broader pattern of coastal construction as a productive frontier, through which the Amazigh inhabitants of Gran Canaria shaped their livelihoods, seasonal calendars, and collective identity.
As reported by larazon.es.
