The glass seed beads, sometimes referred to as trade beads, played an important,
if not somewhat of an ignominious role in the colonization of North America.
Columbus' first trade with the people of the Americas was done with the use of red hats
and string beads to gain the confidence and admiration of the indigenous people.
In the years following Columbus, the conquistadors set the pattern for trade with the use of trade beads.
Along with the pots, pans and muskets, the bead became an indispensable part of the goods
to be traded for items of greater value.

The history of beads dates as far back as 40,000 years with the advent of modern people.
They have been made by every culture since then.

Every society has had the basic technology to make beads consisting of items
from plant seeds to various stones. Plant material required the least technology
to produce beads and was a widely available medium. In contrast, the material from gems,
semiprecious stone and bone required a labour intensive production process.

In North America, the use of beads and their manufacture was limited to a difficult production
in gold, jade, bone, blue-green stone turquoise and hand polished shell beads. Thousands
of years prior to European contact, geographical location determined the kinds of beads produced.
Prehistoric Southwestern cultures traded turquoise throughout the western regions and into Mexico.
Marine shells from the Florida coasts were traded north and made into beads in Illinois.
They were distributed to the agricultural societies of the Mississippi, Ohio and Illinois River valleys about A.D. 1100.

All types of raw materials were used for ornamentation and to decorate clothing in North America.
Objects were crafted to serve a host of functions, both secular and sacred. Prior to European contact,
the use of porcupine quills by most woodland and plains cultures was common.
Dyed in various colours, quills were used on baskets, footwear and clothing.
Other means of decoration on clothing came in the way of painting
and animal fur arranged to create patterns.