Abstract

A review of ethnographies from the plains indicates that children were well equipped with material culture for the purpose of play. As a consequence of these activities, small artifacts and features have contributed to the archaeological record. Small stone and bone artifacts, pottery and features from Head-Smashed-In and other Plains sites are interpreted as toys and the result of play. The recognition of toys in the archaeological record of the Plains is difficult but new interpretations suggest these are more common than previously suspected.