Beadwork

The creation and use of beads goes back thousands of years. Beads have been made out of many things. For example: stone, teeth, shells, pearls, copper, glass, and bone. Many used the local resources to find and make their beads, but trade networks provided a larger array of materials for people to use. The Science Museum of Minnesota has a large collection of artifacts that contain beadwork. The information and images below are selected items from our accessioned collections.

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-30-13-0443

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