The analysis of use-residues on tools using methods drawn from microscopy, biochemistry, radiocarbon dating and molecular biology results in information which can be at least as informative as excavation-based reconstructions of past cultures. The analysis of a collection of tools from a now destroyed site in north-western Canada yields species identification of the residues, the age and task association of the tools, and necessitates a change to the reconstruction of the subsistence and economy of the late prehistoric period in the region.