Wendy Sutton

Columbia University

212 S. Pierce St.

Laramie WY 82070

E-mail: sutton999@aol.com

This paper will explore the archaeological, ethnographic, and historic evidence of shifting gender relations during the Late Prehistoric and Protohistoric Periods on the High Plains. This particular study will focus attention on the cultural groups living in the Powder River Basin and Bighorn Mountains of northern Wyoming (i.e. Crow, Sioux, Cheyenne, and Shoshoni). Shifting inter- and intra- "tribal" relations during the Protohistoric Period precipitated changes in gender relations. One often-cited example of changing gender relations is an increase in polygamy, other (sometimes related changes) include an increased focus on hide and pemmican production (women’s work), and increased warfare (men’s work). More subtle changes in gender relations can be related to changes in social organization from band to tribe, and potential shifts in the importance of certain age and accomplishment related social positions. Particular attention will be paid to changes in ceramic assemblages, lithic assemblages, and intra-site organization