How do we study the history of societies who have never had writing? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

How do we study the history of societies who have never had writing?

by punninglinguist

For instance, the native North Americans. Is it just anthropology + archaeology + whatever literate cultures have written about them? Or is oral history ever considered reliable enough to take into account?

Searocksandtrees

hi! do consider x-posting this question to our sister sub, /r/AskAnthropology. While there are some anthropologists and archaeologists here, it's worth tapping into more over there.