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INDIAN BEADWORK 
The explanation for this banded beadwork is found in the original 
quillwork. The technique of that process is described in another part 
of this booklet. Quills were not strung like beads but were dyed in 
assorted colors, then flattened out and laid on in bands of uniform width 
and color. Thus a given band of color followed the contour of the design, 
whether curved or straight (Fig. 3). In any case, the uniform bands 
gave a lined, or ribbed surface. This is just what we find in some 
beadwork, though the beads are strung and handled in a different way 
from quills. The Indian woman merely substituted beads into the old 
quill pattern. 
On the other hand, the bead embroidery of the Ojibway seems to 
have had a different history. The earliest known form was the outlining 
of designs in beads (Fig. 4). Many beautiful patterns produced in this 
way are to be seen in the Woodland Hall (Fig. 18). According to tradi- 
tion this was followed by filled-in patterns as in Fig. 17 and finally by 
full beaded backgrounds where the whole surface is covered. It is 
probable that this form also originated in a quill technique, for the older 
forms of quillwork among the Woodland Indians seem to have been 
outline designs on birchbark, some examples of which are on exhibition. 



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