Customer Reviews

North American Indian Beadwork Designs

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

originally published in 1919, this is a good, if very brief, basic reference. its age is a plus--the illustrations are of items that had, on the whole, not yet been influenced by tourist trade.

there's a very short section on quillwork technique; a wonderful old photo of traditionally dressed blackfoot women, unfortunately without a date; and a section that isolates the components of beadwork designs, a benefit for those creating their own work.

most of the few illustrations are from nations usually underrepresented--including assiniboin and arapaho.

all in all, a worthwhile supplement to other, more comprehensive books.

I can only add to the other reviewers statement about seeing items and patterns before there was "authentic indian crafts as sold on Ebay".

There is a wonderful section (several pages) that go over the beading patterns and what they represent when woven onto an item (by Nation) such as buffalo, wolves, rabbit tracks ect. I found that the best part of the book.

Craft history buffs will love the information on historical beading and bead trade snippets.

For the price you can't go wrong with this one.

Very informative concerning the meaning of designs. Terrific resource for those wanting to compose their own designs. My only complaint is that the photos are not in color but that is a small complaint.

This book is great for Indian history buffs. But, I needed it for learning new beading patterns, not quite what I needed. However, I will keep this book with the rest of our collection. My family is part of the Cherokee Tribe.