Love of Beading

I am an enrolled member of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. I have had beading in my heart and I did not know that it existed until I beaded my first earring. From them I could not put those tiny beads down. Then I started making pine needle baskets, beaded bracelets and so much more. I think about my ancestors and the beautiful artistry that they completed with only the bare essentials I am in awe.

I will carry the traditions of my ancestors until I cannot use my hands anymore.

History of Beading

Native American designs are my trademark. I weave each strand and touch each bead with love.  Beads are alive and have to be treated with respect. The first European explorers and colonists gave Native Americans glass and ceramic beads as gifts and used beads for trade with them. Native Americans had made bone, shell, and stone beads long before the Europeans arrived in North America, and continued to do so. However, European glass beads, mostly from Venice, some from Holland and, later, from Poland and Czechoslovakia, became popular and sought after by Native Americans. Europeans realized early on that beads were important to Native Americans .

The availability of glass beads increased, their cost decreased, and they became more widely used by Indians throughout North America. Ceramic beads declined in popularity as glass bead manufacturers came to dominate the market because of their variety of color, price, and supply.

100% Native American Handmade

All of my products have natural ingredients from Mother Earth. I hand bead all my beaded items. .

If you are interested in custom orders please contact me at vickiejeffries@yahoo.com.

Bilahuk