Abstract
The role of trees has long been limited to being sources of firewood or food in the archeological record. This article, however, aims to investigate the economic, cultural, and spiritual roles of trees through a comparative ethnographic analysis of 13 hunter-gatherer societies. The authors find that the relationships between trees and hunter-gatherers are deep and complex; trees are used for shade, protection, recreation, place-makers, and inhabitation and are often considered social and sacred beings.