How did the Native Americans make the beads?

Ricki in Seattle wants to know, “How did the Native Americans make the beads?”  This is my favorite and most asked question regarding Native Arts!  Native Americans did not make glass beads.  Glass beads have been around for centuries and were made primarily in Europe.  Around the 16th century the center of glass blowing and bead making moved to Venice, Italy; a city closer to shipping and trade routes of the time.  To protect the city of Venice from fire, the island of Murano, just offshore became the center of glassmaking.  More than 100,000 types of beads were made on Murano for trade to the America’s, Africa, and Asia as well as Europe.  By the time European traders, such as the Hudson Bay and American Trading Companies began to explore the United States, (in the early 1800’s), their horses were loaded with ”pony beads” a larger type of glass beads in limited color choices.  These new material choices were extremely attractive to the Native artists who had previously been limited to bird quills, porcupine quills and earth pigments for their materials.  Trading for highly desirable buffalo hides and beaver pelts gave the Indigenous artist new tools to create amazing works of art!…..  To learn more, check out my three part video series “Artists of the Plains” in the video section of the website!