The History of Cherokee Indian Beads
Cherokee Indians are known for designing jewelry, clothing and handicrafts with beautiful and intricate beadwork patterns. The tradition of making items from beads has deep historical roots in the Cherokee community; it dates back earlier than the 17th century. Cherokee people stopped beading for a period in the 19th century when their people and culture were under threat of extinction. Today, however, the Cherokee beading tradition is experiencing a strong revival.
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Early Phase
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Cherokee people are thought to have learned to bead from their Iroquois neighbors. The first examples of Cherokee jewelry were made from natural materials such as shells, nuts, carved wood, bird bones, copper, gold and silver. These were used to make items like bags, beads and necklaces with patterns that resemble those found on Cherokee pottery and baskets. Some of the patterns might have been used to keep records, which has also been documented among other Native American groups.
European influence
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Upon contact with European traders in the 1600s, Cherokee were able to acquire imported glass beads, steel needles, thread and imported cloth. These items enabled the beading tradition to flourish, particularly at the turn of the 19th century. Glass seed beads, which were small and colorful, often replaced natural materials. Seed beads were small enough that they could easily be made into intricate designs that often reflected symbols from Cherokee cosmology. Cherokee beadwork was widely purchased by non-Cherokee people, including chiefs from other Indian groups, Europeans and American military officers.
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Interrupted by struggles
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In 1838-9, the U.S. military under Andrew Jackson's order forcibly removed Cherokee people from their original homeland in the southeastern U.S. and relocated them to a reservation in Oklahoma. This forced migration is called the Train of Tears because Cherokee people suffered greatly during it and many did not live to reach Oklahoma. Once on the reservation, Cherokee people struggled to rebuild their lives and families. In the process of rebuilding, the beading tradition was temporarily dropped. Some claim that this occurred because Cherokee people became too busy with struggling to keep themselves alive to make beaded products, whereas other note that the Trail of Tears left many Cherokee feeling embarrassed by their cultural identity, such that few remained interested in affiliating with being Cherokee by producing a traditional Cherokee craft.
Revival of the Tradition
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A slow revival in the practice of Cherokee beadwork began late in the 19th century. Items like moccasins, bags, pincushions, needle cases, and clothing were made to sell to tourists. Traditional Cherokee designs were adapted to fit the tastes of Euro-American buyers. The revival of Cherokee beadwork peaked later on, starting in the 1980s. Today, there are workshops where Cherokee can learn to bead and art shows where the best Cherokee beadwork is displayed. Two types of beadwork are common today: "scroll work" involves sowing beads along the sides of men's pants and women's dresses for decoration, whereas "solid" beadwork involves beads sown to each other, and then perhaps to leather strips, to make belts, handbags and necklaces.
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