Jewelry has played vital roles in ancient society and even today. It is used to adorn and beautify ones’ self. From simple, it became more elaborate, it now ranges from everything imaginable, rings, pendants, anklets, toe rings, nose rings, necklaces, belly buttons rings, anything! Jewelry is once used to signify a person’s social status, now it is used to signify one’s fashion statement. It is really fascinating how jewelry has evolved.
The Native American jewelry especially the beadworks have been passed down from generations amongst the various Indian cultures. These beads were used on their pipe bags, moccasins, belt bags, toy cradles, knife sheathes, dolls, and different items of clothing. Each beadwork is extraordinary and unique in its own right and is greatly varied from tribe to tribe. Each tribe used different colors based largely upon the dyes accessible from the plants in the places in which they dwell.
Most of the Native American jewelry, beadwork, pottery and artwork have a special meaning. Their crafts stand for something significant in their lives. In view of the fact that the Native American Indians were always on the move, they could not afford to have fragile things of any kind. So they would adorn their blankets, utensils or everything else that they could with beads in the most durable way possible.
Their gift of imagination and handiwork resulted in countless beautiful pieces of jewelry and artwork created hundreds of years ago. Some of these pieces are now on the market for purchase and some exquisite pieces made their way in museums around the country for the world to admire and see. For us today, the beadwork is only a beautiful piece of jewelry but to them beadwork meant much more. It was their way of life being recorded on the jewelry itself. It was the individual’s self expression intertwined with every piece that he makes. The history and culture of each tribe is a story in itself.
Utensils, clothing, and other devices were ornamented. It was during the mid 18th centuries that designs started to change. Some of the tribes today who still do the art of beadwork are the Five Civilized Tribes: Pueblo, Shoshone, Cheyenne, Lakota, Arapahoe, and a lot more. Fascinating enough, still a lot of beadwork is being made by hand by these amazing tribe’s people. These people are full of pride and they like their offspring to bear in mind the tradition of their elders from long ago. The tradition of making Native American jewelry particularly the beadwork is one way of reminding today’s American Indians of where they came from and who they really are.
Today, there are still a lot of people doing beadwork. Most of them are descendants of the Native American Indians of the olden days but their spirit stays on in the generations after them. Beadwork and other art crafts of the Native American Indians should never die. Hopefully the children and great grandchildren of the pioneers will carry on with the traditions and culture of these artworks. GP
