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Glass bead necklace with dentalium shells / Native American; Plains

Essay/Description

Trade bead necklace with red and blue beads and dentalium shell.

Plains Indians’ necklaces “were made of grass, seeds, shell beads, strings of fossil crinoids, animal claws, horns, antlers, and teeth, especially elk teeth” (Paterek 1994, 86). Trade beads were made and brought from Europe to trade with the Native Americans for gold, furs, and other precious materials. Many beads were made in Italy, often from glass. The Native Americans greatly valued these beads because the beads they made were arduously crafted one at a time and, therefore, were valuable and rare (Dubin 1999, 172).

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Title(s): 
Glass bead necklace with dentalium shells
Culture: 
Native American; Plains
Date: 
late 19th century
Period: 
Historic
Place: 
Great Plains, United States of America
Materials/Techniques: 
glass, dentalium
Dimensions: 
16 1/4 in. (41.3 cm)
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Accession No: 
84.189
Department: 
Not On View

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