Using a diversity of techniques and designs, artisans from many Indigenous Nations create breathtaking pieces of beaded artwork. Among these Nations, the Métis are renowned for their beautiful and elaborate floral beadwork designs. You will find examples of this artwork below, which show that beading traditions remain alive and well today. Before glass beads were available, artists used shells, animal bones and clay for beads — along with porcupine or feather quills and moose or caribou hair — to create designs on clothing and other personal accessories. The patterns are as diverse as the people who create them, often taking form as abstract or geometric shapes, birds, animals, plants and flowers. There are many techniques used in beading, often passed down among women from one generation to the next.

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