People have been collecting, stringing, and sewing beads for more than 120,000 years. Some of the earliest beads, made of tiny seashells, were found in North Africa and the Middle East. As our ancestors spread around the world, they left a trail of beads behind them. People have been making and wearing beads ever since.
Almost anything can become a bead; a shell, a stone, a seed. Beads are beautiful, and their use reveals much about individual style and aesthetics. Their materials may document the physical environment, and their use in ritual, religion, and politics reflects societal history, economy, and values. Whether Venetian glass beads in the Congo, Olmec jade, or Pacific coastal marine shells in archaeological sites of interior Oregon or Washington, it is clear that the value of beads was enhanced by the distance they traveled and the labor needed to extract their raw material, manufacture the ornaments, and move them to a consumer. Added value may accumulate through the passage of time, since beads and beadwork are handed down over generations as treasured heirlooms.
The beads shown here are a sample from the museum's collections and illustrate a wealth of materials from around the globe, ranging from pre-Columbian ceramics and jade to African ostrich shell beads.
Images © UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Production of this gallery was generously supported by The Ford Family Foundation and the Oregon Cultural Trust.
Further Reading:
Dubin, Lois Sher
2009 The History of Beads: From 100,000 B.C. to the Present. Revised and Expanded Edition. Abrams, New York, N.Y.
Francis, Peter, Jr.
1994 Beads of the World. Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. Atglen, PA.
Crabtree, Carolyn and Pam Stallebrass
2002 Beadwork: A World Guide. Rizzoli International Publications, New York, N.Y.