Résumé (en anglais):

Mechanisms of pre historic exchange, that is, how and in what form materials moved within and between geographical regions and social groups, are of considerable interest to archaeologists. On the basis of observed distributions and the contexts of distinctive archaeological discoveries, various trade mechanisms are proposed. Determining prehistoric exchange patterns on the basis of some types of lithic materials in the Great Lakes region is complicated by difficulties in accurately determining source(s). In the case of rare artifacts of variable size where subsampling (such as thin sections) may not be perrnitted, analysts often rely on instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to chemically characterize and source several Great Lakes and adjacent region lithic materials.