A Beginner's Handbook to Traditional Native American Beadwork

A SHORT HISTORY OF BEADS AND BEADWORK

The evolution of traditional Native American beadwork can be traced back to the ancient craft of quillwork.  Early Native American craftsmen decorated personal items by embroidering them with porcupine quills colored with natural dyes.  Quillwork, in turn, is an extension of painted designs.  Because quillwork is a uniquely American craft, it is easy to see how the application of beads to personal articles attained such a high level of artistic expression, ability, and excellence.  Of all the garments, for example, that are recognizable as unique to a particular cultural or ethnic group, none are more striking than a Plains Indian “War-shirt.”

Almost every culture in history has used beads for decorative and spiritual purposes, as well as to denote social status and wealth.  Beads were fashioned from a variety of natural sources including bone, shell, stone, wood, and metal.  Early Archaic craftsmen of the American southeast, for example, fashioned intricately designed beads depicting animals and spiritual beings from stone.  Creating these miniature works of art with the tools available at the time was a laborious process and indicates that these beads were highly prized objects.

Beads served some of the same functions among “civilized” European society as well.  Beads were used in contemporary fashion jewelry which was exclusive to the wealthy upper classes.  Additionally, the term “bead” has its origins in medieval Europe and stems from the word “bene,” which means prayer.  The word itself, then, refers to the spiritual use of beads in rosaries during an era dominated by Christian doctrine and beliefs.

European explorers in the New World recognized early on the importance of beads in Native American culture, and elaborate trading practices arose between the native people and the newcomers.  The explorers knew from their experiences in Africa that aboriginal people had a fascination for European technology and manufactured goods-especially brightly colored glass beads.  European beads quickly became the preferred medium of exchange in North America and were traded for food, furs, friendship, and land.

In the eastern regions of the new world, trade beads, as they came to be called, became available with Christopher Columbus’ voyages of exploration during the late 15^th century.  In the northwest part of North America, beads came with Russian traders a substantially later, probably in the late 17^th or early 18^th centuries.  As traders and trappers penetrated the frontier of the New World, they furthered the use of beads for barter.  Native American groups in the central and northern parts of the continent, then, were the last to acquire beads, and among the first to acquire small beads that could be sewn onto leather.  This is one reason, perhaps that Northern Plains beadwork is considered some of the finest work of its kind.

The first beads which Native Americans acquired from European traders included a variety of large, glass beads, usually ¼” in diameter or larger, collectively termed “trade beads.”  However, these large beads were useful only stringing applications.  The earliest beads which could be used to emulate the visual effect of quillwork closely resembled those that we call “pony” or “E” beads and were about 1/8” in size.  Most early beadwork was done using these relatively large beads.  Many times, pony beads were used to create a border around quillwork designs.  Over time, beads became smaller and more colorful, and the art of beadwork progressed comparably.