Beads

Object NameBeads

MediumGlass

ClassificationsJewelry, Eyeware and Watches

Credit LineGift of Glen Murphy Estate. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number78.16.15

Status

On view

Collections

Textiles and Jewelry

Label TextNative American trade beads were small glass beads introduced through European contact beginning in the 16th century and widely used in Indigenous trade networks across North America. Valued for their bright colors, durability, and symbolic meanings, these beads were incorporated into traditional clothing, jewelry, ceremonial objects, and regalia, often blended with existing materials such as shell, bone, and stone. Different colors and bead styles could signify status, identity, or spiritual significance, varying by tribe and region. The advent of seed beads like these allowed for an expanding expression of design, especially among tribes of the Western plains. While trade beads originated as European manufactured goods, Native American artisans transformed them into powerful expressions of cultural identity, creativity, and continuity, making them an enduring element of Indigenous material culture and exchange. https://peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org/artifact-identification/beads/historic-trade-beads/

Locations