Essay On Beadwork

People have always wondered about my affection for beautiful necklaces, exquisite earrings, and one of a kind rings. This infatuation comes from a history of Cherokee beadwork jewelry, where ancestors crafted handmade beads into rare jewelry. Native Americans created the earliest form of jewelry known to North America, although much of their creations have gone unknown due being undocumented. Some forms of native art are more mainstream to current society, such as the silver jewelry with turquoise beadwork. However, all forms were traded with Europeans, allowing for the assimilation to all Native American forms of beadwork jewelry. Each Native American tribe created a different form of jewelry unique in medium, style, meaning, and method. Cherokee beadwork is normally placed on moccasins, leggings, clothing and bags; however, it was also common to find beadwork worn on garters, sashes, necklaces, bracelets, crown, and the cartilage in their noses (Duncan and Berry). Beads, adela, began as shells, teeth, bones, and claws of animals, while incorporating dried berries and gray corn (Cherokee Indian Art: Beadwork and Basketry). The use of the natural materials is …show more content…
The designs “can range from a single line of beads to complex designs requiring tens of thousands of beads-not to mention sharp eyes, a steady hand, and much patience” (Stewart). White beads were significant to the designs, traditionally, “sewed in single lines to create geometric patterns, to outline silk ribbon appliqué, and to decorate edges” (Duncan and Berry). Beads and application differ upon the way that the beadwork will be worn. For example, a fingerweaving technique with shell beads was used to create graters, belts, and sashes (Duncan and Berry). While the typical needle and thread technique used in quilting will be used with berries and corn to create beadwork on clothing, bags, and traditional