William R. Belcher

Through the study of butchery and fishing practices, it is possible to reconstruct behaviors that occurred in the past. These cut marks on a sua fish (Protonibea diacanthus) mid-body vertebra are approximately 4,500 years old and originate from the … >

The main fish markets near the modern village of Harappa were within the village itself as well as the District market in the local District center, Sahiwal. Most of the fish within the local market of Harappa were supplied through local fisher fol… >

Traditionally, boats used a lateen (triangular) sail. However, now the primarily means of locomotion is the side-mounted motor-propeller system. Trolling operations are time-consuming and the boat is driven back and forth within a relatively confine… >

Also recovered from Balakot were the distinctive neurocrania of the dhoter fish (Pomadasys hasta). This fish account for almost 60% of all the fish remains at Balakot. Neurocrania and other cranial remains are concentrated in very distinct areas of … >

One of my main informants in Harappa Town was an elderly man named Baba Yaqoob. He was retired at the time during the mid-1990s, while his sons worked their land as well as a vegetable stand on the western side of Harappa. Baba Yaqoob took me into h… >

Long gill nets of various sizes and configurations are set in areas along the coast. The type of net and the fishing grounds vary in accordance to season and type of fish that is being caught. Sting-rays are caught with very large-meshed nets in sha… >

Fishing and trolling often continues up until sunset. I would like to thank the various fisherfolk in Baluchistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces that have allowed me to intrude in their lives. By inviting me into their homes and allowing me to study th… >

Gulam Mustafa was one of my main fisher folk informants. He had several businesses that he ran, but he also had a lot of knowledge and the equipment related to fishing. He helped procure many of the fish remains that were part of the butchery and … >

Fishing usually begins early in the morning. Fisherfolk often leave well before the sun rises and return in the early afternoon. After eating lunch and napping, the men would gather to repair boats and nets as well as gossip amongst themselves and c… >

In the early 1990s, I was a new graduate student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In order to prepare myself for taking my qualifying exams, I was sitting in on Dr. J. Mark Kenoyer’s class, The Archaeology o… >