Bead Loom Bracelets

Beadwork is one of the best-known art forms practiced by Indigenous Peoples. Before Europeans arrived, First Nations created beads using tools made of stone or wood and abrasives such as sand.

Coloured glass beads were among the earliest goods that Europeans traded with Indigenous Peoples. The availability of small, brightly coloured beads made possible the creation of newly original designs from a broader colour palette.

This created an explosion of Indigenous beadwork in North America during the mid-1800s beads were readily available, which continues today.