Centuries before Europeans arrived with glass trading beads, Native people who lived in what is now Minnesota were making beads from stone, shells, teeth and bone. Dakota and Ojibwe women used these beads to decorate clothes and craft jewelry, establishing a rich creative tradition.
Find beaded beauty in designs of Native artists
Handmade beaded collectibles, both new and vintage, are gloriously colorful and intricate.
By Barbara Schmidt
July 8, 2023 at 12:00PM
Even as the materials changed, bead art continued to reflect the natural world of the woods and plains, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. Dakota designs used bilateral symmetry — mirror images — and floral patterns in pastel colors. Ojibwe designs also featured florals, but in a more flowing style and against a black background.
Always, beadwork evolved and adapted. For example, in the wake of the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, when the Dakota were forced from their homes to Nebraska and the Dakota Territory, their beadwork began to incorporate the bolder colors and geometric, repeating shapes used by their Lakota kin.
By the mid-20th century, after the government encouraged Native people to relocate to cities, beadwork itself came to represent resistance to assimilation and survival of culture. Modern-day artists draw from this heritage, reviving techniques and playing with patterns, carrying meaningful traditions forward in contemporary work.
From left:
Ojibway woodswoman hat, $795; northlandvisions.com
Dakota braintan cinch bag, $1,100; shakopeetradingpost.com
Cedar necklace by Wendy Roy, $200; instagram.com/custombead
Feather barrette from the Minneapolis American Indian Center, $60; maicnet.org
Canadian Iroquois moccasins, circa 1900-1915, $1,900; shakopeetradingpost.com
1900s Canadian Ojibwe braintan bag, $1,500; shakopeetradingpost.com
Rose medallion by Anishinaabe-Michif artist Jack Theis, $680; birchbarknativearts.com
about the writer
Barbara Schmidt
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