Victorian Native American Iroquois Mohawk Beaded Whimsey Star Flower Pin 1880

Description: This rare very early Victorian Iroquois / Algonquin Beaded Star Shaped Beaded Floral Whimsey. From the same collection as the Butterfly Heart Shaped Cushion also listed. A rare most early Native American beadwork style. It measures 3 1/2" by 3 1/4" overall and approximately 1/2" thick. The beads are several different sizes and colors .... clear and a blue/green with long tubular and round ones for the pistils and stamens... there for the Victorian Ladies to consider strolling along the Niagara Falls Overlook. Although they did not conform to the general concept of “Indian Beadwork Design", they represent an important branch of Native American beadwork. There were two main language groups of Native Americans in the northeast woodland region: Iroquois and Algonquin. Within those language groups were many individual tribes or nations.The Iroquois (“Hodenausuanee”) Confederacy are made up of the Six Nations of Mohawk, Seneca, Tuscarora, Oneida, Cayuga and Onondaga. At the time Europeans first arrived in North America, the Confederacy was based in what is now the northeastern United States and southern Canada, including New England, upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and Quebec. Other speakers of the Iroquoian language are the Huron/Wyandot whose homeland was around Lake Huron. Believed to the the oldest participatory democracy on earth and their Constitution is thought to be the working model for the United States Constitution.Algonquian peoples refer to themselves as Anishnabek (“the people”) and they include such tribes as the Abenaki, Massachusett, Wampanoag, Narragansett, Pequot and Montauk, Malisleet, and Mi’kmaq are also considered Northeast Woodland Indians. Other Algonquin people include the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Odawa (Ottawa) and Potawatomi. Beaded objects the Victorians called “whimsies” such as pincushions and picture frames, gained tremendous popularity as a souvenir item. Beadwork production increased and became an important source of income for Iroquois families. Moccasins, bags, pincushions, needle cases, scissor cases, smoking caps, picture frames, jewelry, and match holders were brilliantly stitched with tiny glass beads by women, using tribal themes but also adapting to the Victorian tastes of their buyers. They were sold — and still are — at Niagara Falls and other sites near Iroquois communities. The majority of the pieces of beadwork were sold at public events and tourist attractions, but some were sold at train stations, and some Iroquois beadwork was also sold by members of Mohawk entertainment groups traveling with Wild West shows throughout North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries Pincushions abound in many shapes and are often covered in beaded birds and flowers. Sometimes other animals like squirrels, cats, dogs, rabbits, beavers, and butterflies are beaded on the front of pincushions. Usually the beadwork is sewn over a pattern cut out of paper. Niagara beadwork features only a few beaded animals while Mohawk beadwork displays a wide variety of fantastic animals. Purple velvet and hot pink cloth are popular in Mohawk beadwork pincushions and other whimsies Please feel free to ask any questions or request more detailed photographs Shipping is $19.99 with carefully packed and cushioned USPS shipping and full insurance

Price: 129 USD

Location: Columbus, North Carolina

End Time: 2025-01-20T03:40:31.000Z

Shipping Cost: 9.99 USD