Abstract

In response to increased interest in gender issues in archaeology, this paper looks at the action spheres in which women are engaged as tool makers and tool users in hunting-gathering societies. Based on ethnoarchaeological research in northern British Columbia, this paper examines the roles of men and women in subarctic hunting-gathering communities, the kinds of activities they are involved in and the kinds of tools they require for varions tasks. Direct observations on women's tool making and tool using behaviour help to define the contexts in which the results or remains of these activities are visible in the archaeological record. This research indicates that knowledge obtained from ethnographic and oral history sources can provide new insights and perspectives for interpreting the patterning seen in artifact assemblages and their distribution in archaeological sites.