American Indian beaded bags of the Columbia River region

Magazine Antiques, March, 2005 by Bill Mercer

Beadwork is one of the most recognizable and visually striking of American Indian art forms. Glass beads made in Europe were among the most highly prized trade items throughout North America. A variety of bead-work techniques and elaborate designs were handed down from one generation to the next, and by the middle of the nineteenth century regional and tribal styles began to emerge.

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The various tribes that lived along the Columbia River and its tributaries in what is now eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and western Idaho were among the most proficient beadwork artists of all North American Indians. (1) They first had access to commercially made glass beads in the early nineteenth century, shortly after Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) and William Clark (1770-1838) completed their epic journey to the Pacific Ocean in November 1805. The earliest beads in the region, known as pony beads, were about one centimeter (approximately 1/16 inch) in diameter and were most frequently available in black, white, red, and blue. Because of their size and limited range of colors, they were often used only as alternating bands or blocks of color (see Pl. VII). By mid-century smaller beads, known as seed beads, were introduced in a much wider range of colors. This resulted in an explosion of complex designs appearing on objects made for the Indians' own use and for sale outside the community.

One of the most ubiquitous beaded objects from the Columbia River region is the flat beaded bag. These rectangular bags, usually beaded on one side only, appear to have developed just after 1850 with the introduction of seed beads. The bags made between 1850 and 1875 were usually of red or dark blue woolen cloth. The interior was unlined, the top edges were often reinforced with leather; and two leather thongs sewn on just below the upper edges served as handles. Sometimes large glass trade beads and even Chinese coins were used as additional decoration (see Pl. III). The beads were sewn on with an applique stitch using two needles. The beads were strung on one thread, which was secured at both ends; the second thread was used to tack the string of beads to the bag at regular intervals. This technique required hundreds of tiny stitches, but it permitted the creation of abstract curvilinear designs that have a lively, organic feel to them, In the early bags two rows of different colored beads were applied next to each other to create an outline, making the background cloth an integral part of the design.

By the 1860s beaded designs came to be more representational than abstract. The most common of these were stylized floral designs clearly meant to represent actual plants (see Pls. I, IV). In some instances the plants are shown in flowerpots or cups. The leaves and flowers were usually outlined and then filled in with beads of a contrasting color. At this time there was a tendency to make the background a single color, usually white. One method of achieving this is called contour beadwork, in which the design elements were stitched in first and then the background was filled in around them. The result is a lively and dynamic composition that gives an illusion of space and dimension.

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After about 1880 a significant number of bags were made of tanned leather, some with a long leather fringe. Printed cottons were used to line the bags, and a wider range of beaded designs was used. Geometric patterns as well as realistic renderings of people and animals were common (see Pl. II). In the latter case, the figures depicted usually appear in profile, floating on a background of perfectly straight lines usually made with blue beads. Contour beading fell so far out of favor that it almost ceased to exist by 1900.

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The beaded bags created from about 1900 to 1940 are among the most visually interesting examples of American Indian beadwork. Rather than being of a consistent size and shape like the earlier bags, these were made in all sizes and sometimes eccentric shapes like hearts and shields. A greater variety of beads was available, including metal, faceted, and translucent ones, enabling beadworkers to add more details to their increasingly complex realistic designs. Many were genre scenes showing everyday Indian life featuring teepees and mounted warriors in traditional costume. In actuality many of these scenes were the fantasies of the non-Indians who were now beginning to collect these bags (see Pl. VI). Other bags incorporated realistic views of Mount Hood and the Columbia River. The American flag also became a frequently used motif, especially around the time of World War I. Names, phrases, and dates were incorporated, and commercial art and popular culture provided a ready source of images. Some women even used patterns from needlepoint books, advertisements, and product packages to appeal to the sensibilities of the non-Indian market.