How Trade Goods and Beads were Welcomed to the Blackfoot Territory

Dates
Jan-12-2010 - Mar-26-2010

Description
"This display provides a brief glimpse at how Blackfoot people enjoyed and welcomed trade goods. Trade cloth replaced animals hides; although not as durable, their colours were highly appreciated. In this display we see how the bead production in Europe went through three significant phases as the glass bead industry matured. The larger beads and the long beads are the oldest with the pony beads arriving around the mid 1800's and finally the tiny seed beads were produced by the late 1800's. As the beads made their way into Blackfoot culture they too were welcome additions to be added to the clothing or used to decorate gun holders, par fleche and other utensils." (Linda Many Guns)

Linda Many Guns, a Native American Studies faculty member, and Pat Breaker, a UofL grad student, worked with the Library Display Team to create this display of Linda's extensive bead collection.  The Library is pleased to assist the Native American Studies Department in bringing awareness and appreciation for Aboriginal peoples and their cultures.  Stay tuned for our next display, The Ten Grandmothers' Project, which will portray the values of aboriginal women in Southern Alberta and Montana.

We encourage all University of Lethbridge Library users having current borrowing privileges to borrow items on display; simply ask at the General Services Desk and someone will retrieve the items for you from the cabinets. Scroll down this page to check out the items on display.

Subject Headings

Interested in searching the Library Catalogue for materials related to this topic? Use these terms in a Subject search:

Indian beadwork; beadwork; beads; glass beads; Indian art; Indian embroidery; Indians of North America clothing; trade routes Canada western; Hudsons Bay Company

Gallery