| Transition in stone tool morphology preceding and during the Marpole Phase (ca.2500-1500 BP) along the central coast of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) correlated with cultural factors such as social inequality. Data was gathered via online databases, published articles, and a museum collection. Approximately 1,691 tools were analyzed. Lithic sources and quarry locations were mapped out using Google Earth to determine any patterns or similarities among the various sites. Results were ultimately limited due to gaps in data, as well as restrictions in accessing certain museum collections due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. Substantial changes occurred preceding the Marpole phase as seen in tool types, materials, and size. There was no immediate and sudden replacement of chipped stone tools with ground stone or osseous tools. Factors behind this change include climate change and maintaining a broad-spectrum diet alongside a more specialized toolkit. Keywords: Pacific Northwest; Marpole Phase; Olcott Phase; prehistoric Native Americans; Indigenous cultures; First Nations; Coast Salish; lithic technology; chiefdoms; Entanglement; Ian Hodder; climate change; bioarchaeology |