If you are in the bead making profession, or just someone who makes beads as a hobby, it is always good to take a look back at the history in order to grow in the future. Sometimes, in order to apply new techniques for beading or bead making, it is best to take a look back. Although there is a long history of beads all over the globe, this article will take a look at the history of beads in North America.

To start, it is good to look at the bead use that was in Canada. It is evident that these people used beads in all facets of their lives. Beads always had some sort of significance behind them; usually because of how they were obtained. Hunters used beads made of bone, while others designed figures to signal their place in this early society.

A key part of the early North American societies was loom beading. Some pieces would take a year of intricate work by an experienced artist working with seed beads. Examples of these pieces include: headdresses, dance dresses, and other ceremonial dress that varied with each group.

Almost anything was used as a material for beads. Some example materials are: quills, claws, teeth, bones, glass, seeds, and many others. Sometimes the making of the bead itself was the major part of the ritual. The availability of materials obviously played a major function in what was used.

Beads also saw major use in trade throughout North America. They were a good medium to be used because of their mobility and sense of universal value. One of the better-known forms of currency was wampum. This was usually a valuable bead like a Quahog strand or an intricate beaded belt. The use of wampum became more popular during the European colonization.

Is there something else you would like to find out about beads or bead bracelets? Come to Novobeads.com to check out great, American made products that are fully compatible with all major bead bracelet brands!. Free reprint available from: Bead History: North America.

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