ID Number

Title

Item Name

Culture

Material

Manufacturing Technique

Date Made

Maker

Place Made

Date Owned

Owner

Acquisition Date

Source

Measurements

Item Classes

Condition

Accession Number

Cultural Context

trade ?; personal decoration; status

Description

A necklace of 117 beads, 6 teeth and 7 silver beavers, arranged with a large beaver at centre and 4 beads separating alternating teeth and beavers. Remaining beads all in colour sequence of three of the light-coloured beads alternating with a red bead. Large beaver has cross-hatched tail, engraved fur on body and two holes as nostrils. Three cartouches on body. Remaining beavers each have nose rings and a cartouche on back. Hole drilled at base of each tooth through which they are strung.

History Of Use

Silver ornaments represent an important part of early exchange between Europeans, including fur traders, and First Nations people, especially in eastern and central Canada and the U.S.A. Initially, the main source of silver was British, French and Spanish coins. Most ornaments were produced by silversmiths of European origin in North America and Europe, and were actively traded only from 1760 to 1821. By the mid-18th century silver objects were produced in New England, Quebec and Montreal. Silver was used by First Nations people as a sign of rank. Silver ornaments in these styles continue to be produced by native silversmiths in central Canada and the USA. Animal imagery is a significant part of Woodland First Nations tradition, but no documented instance has been found of the use of animal effigies in trade. The place of effigies in Woodlands culture is not known. Mark HB stands for Hudson’s Bay.
In 1670 King Charles II of England granted an exclusive fur trading charter to the Hudson’s Bay Company in what was later to become Canada. The company’s mandate was to protect the Crown’s interests and undertake exploration and territorial expansion. Competition for furs was intense, and in 1784 the North West Company was formed by a number of independent trading groups. By 1821 this company faced bankruptcy and merged with the Hudson’s Bay Company. This latter company still exists today, operating a number of retail stores across Canada, and is known simply as The Bay.