Beads And Beadwork Of The American Indians

Beads and beadwork of the American Indians

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The advent of small-sized "seed beads" quickly diminished the importance of painting, porcupine quill embroidery, and other decorative techniques on clothing, horse gear, utensils, and ceremonial items. American Indian beadwork in Oklahoma incorporates techniques, styles, and designs from dozens of tribal communities.

These diverse historic traditions led to the development of an "Oklahoma style" of beadwork that both preserves distinct tribal elements and benefits from their admixture.

A variety of techniques are used to secure beads in place to create patterns and designs. Lazy stitch, in which small strings of beads are attached to the base material at each end, is most often used to cover large areas on dresses, moccasins, cradleboards, and horse gear.

Teri Greeves talks about her work as a Native beadwork artist

Loomed beadwork, created on either a fixed or flexible set of warp threads, creates strips for belts, garters, and armbands. Net beadwork, often referred to as "gourd" or "peyote" stitch, is used to cover fan and rattle handles and other tubular objects. Beadwork provides a rich expressive medium in which color, contrast, and design permit a limitless number of distinct patterns and compositions.

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Design elements include both realistic and abstract representations of natural phenomena, religious cosmology, and purely aesthetic expressions in line and form. Contemporary Oklahoma beadwork artists produce works of extremely high quality and diversity.

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While the majority of modern beadwork is commissioned for use in American Indian communities, beadwork for the tourist and collector markets continues to provide an important source of income for artists. A number of Oklahoma's bead workers have made significant contributions to the art form, developing innovative applications of traditional techniques.

The Exquisite Art New York: So this illustrates that you are dancing with and for your ancestors, relatives and friends at pow-wows and social events.

Countless Native women go unmentioned or uncredited but it is their work, their time, dedication and passion that are the basis for beadwork culture. The Wheelwright explains this well in their citations. Beads were incorporated into Native life as a medium of expression, so the final pieces with beautiful American Indian Beads worked at over time, along with all other chores and duties, reflected wealth, status, family and tribal history and personal achievement.

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Before contact the women prepared and tanned the hides used in their villages and for inter-tribal trade and then the European settlers. The evolving contact era also meant profound changes, as in horses and mobility on one hand, followed by the reservation life and not being able to gather natural materials, staying home and beading more with these American Indian beads.

Beaded pieces and adornments also reflected spiritual well-being at feasts and ceremonies and because of this prosperity, these women were honored and held in high esteem. After repatriation of Navajo ceremonial bundles in , the Museum was renamed the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.

Native American Indian Beadwork

There have been additions over time including archives and work labs for collections and a library for research and public events in Most recently, an addition in houses a permanent jewelry collection to which just a few photographs cannot give it justice. The Case Trading Post has always been a place for locals and tourists to visit and purchase artwork from over native artisans. In addition to revolving exhibits by living Native Artists, the Museum hosts various events, benefits and community days all year long and is open every day of the week.

Go now to see the beautiful collection of American Indian beads and beadwork. For more information, visit the Wheelwright Museum website. News Maven Home Archive The exhibit takes us on a historical tour around Turtle Island using beaded leather garments, articles of adornment, and modern works of art dating from circa to the present.

American Indian Exhibit at The Wheelwright Museum:‘Beads: A Universe of Meaning’

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