Native crafts may not always appear as one may imagine. This unique pouch is just one example of an item made for the tourist trade. Originating in the Great Lakes Region, the pouch is comprised of six individual panels of leather. Fine beadwork helps hide the seams and adorns the […]
museum monday
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One of the most easily recognized beads used in native crafts is the hairpipe shown here. The oldest known beads of this style were made from shell and can date as far back as 4,000 yeas ago! Hairpipes have been made from a variety of materials including bone, horn, silver, […]
Not all beads used by natives were symmetrical or perfectly formed. For example, animal teeth were often used to create art or adorn regalia. Early tooth beads had a hole drilled through them to allow a string or sinew to pass through. Later, after some of the tribes became proficient […]
Buttons, especially metal military buttons, are often found when archaeologists are excavating the site of a native village. Does this mean that the two groups lived in harmony together? Not necessarily. While it was not unheard of for natives and Europeans to coexist, more commonly, the two relied on each […]
Bags and pouches were used for many things. This photo shows an Arapaho paint pouch. The beadwork covering this item is done in a pattern called “lazy stitch”, meaning that several beads were strug at a time and set into rows. Even putting 10 beads on at a time, it […]