Indian Trade Silver 





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Ornaments of sheet silver, like this cross and gorget, were made specifically for 

 use in the North American fur trade by silversmiths in Canada, England, and 

 the United States. Silver ornaments were first introduced to North American 

 Indians in the form of diplomatic gifts and later became a significant item in 

 commercial trade. The earliest ornaments were medals which were given to 

 Indian leaders as a badge of honor and to secure friendly relations with the 

 various tribes. Indian allies became extremely important, particularly to the 

 French and British in the Great Lakes area, and the amount and variety of 

  silver ornaments presented during alliance ceremonies proliferated. In 

 addition to diplomatic alliances, Europeans also desired the impressive 

 profits that could be derived from trade for furs and, as Indians wanted 

 silver for their furs and services, traders became increasingly aware of 

 ' the necessity of including such items as brooches, earrings, arm- 



i^ bands, crosses, and gorgets in their trading inventories. With this 



accelerated demand, by the mid-1 8th century silver ornaments were 

 being produced specifically for the Indian trade. Many ornaments 

 were marked with the name of the silversmith who made them and 

 thus are considered to be an excellent criterion for dating archae- 

 ological sites in the western Great Lakes, as well as elsewhere in 

 eastern North America, between ca. 1 760 and 1 820. 



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Silver cross and gorget from Indian grave in Will County, Illinois. The cross bears the mark of Robert Cruikshank, a Montreal silversmith. 



Cat. 20771 (cross) and 207713. 

 Phoio by Ron Testa, neg. 1 1 1490 



