Cheryl Ajirotutu

Anthropology, Box 413, Univ. of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI 53201

yinka@uwm.edu

and

Alice B. Kehoe

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Analysis of ethnographic observations of women's work in west Africa indicates it is characterized by 1) repetition, 2) sustainable technology, 3) requiring juggling multiple tasks (or at least responsibilities) more or less simultaneously, e.g. cooking/sewing/child-care, and 4) changing through a woman's life cycle. Of these four characteristics, the second, sustainable technology, is the one directly accessible in archaeological data. We present supporting ethnographic data from Africa, Andean Aymara, and Northwestern Plains. A critical archaeological example is Francois' House, the first successful fur trade post on the Saskatchewan River (1768 - 1773), where indigenous technology seems to have been used by indigenous women resident in the post, although imported metal was available.