The student of Great Lakes archaeology is currently confronted with an extraordinary number of traditions, co-traditions, horizons, phases and cultural referents. The number of these taxonomic referents is growing rather than diminishing, exacerbating the already difficult and complex process of understanding cultural interaction and change among neighbouring populations. These papers provide an opportunity to address this problem, questioning the usefulness of current archaeological constructs and identifying new directions that enhance rather than obscure communication.

Papers presented at the 1997 Ontario Archaeological Society-Midwest Archaeological Conference symposium. Co-published by the Ontario Archaeological Society.