Beads

Photo: NPS

Traders and trappers who traveled and worked throughout the Upper Missouri knew how that glass beads were loved and adored by the Native people. This information would have been shared with Captains as they prepared in the fall and winter of 1803-1804.

So Meriwether Lewis included plenty of beads – purchasing them by the card, the bunch, or pound. He included a variety of colors, including blue which he’d probably been told were of the highest value. Several sizes or types must have been packed, too: seed beads (under 2mm in diameter), pony beads (from 2mm to 4mm), and faceted beads.

Native people used these bright colored glass beads for decoration and as a way to express wealth. They were worn as jewelry and stitched onto clothing and other personal belongings. Many times, beadwork incorporated symbols of everyday life (objects and animals), and were often similar to the geometric quillwork patterns already in use.