Bead Item Number: 1927.79 from the MAA: University of Cambridge

Description

Two dark blue old trade beads.; Good

Context

A provenance of Vancouver is given on the catalogue card, however beads of this shape and colour were traded all along the coast (G.Crowther). These beads are possibly of Chinese manufacture, displaying the large perforation and wound characteristics, the beads were made from winding hot glass onto a rod or piece of wire (G.Crowther). The original European tribal names and, where possible, current tribal names have both been given in separate GLT fields.; A note in Emmon' s text on the Tlingit, The Tlingit Indians 1991, (University of Washington Press), page 56, states Beads were valued at so much according to colour: Yellow 30 cents, Red 40 cents, Blue 50 cents. Chilkat. Beads were traded for and worn in necklaces and attached to clothes and baskets.