Paper 2
Dating the Chickasaw Beads

Home

Glass Trade Beads
Interviews

Database Fields: Artifacts

Database Fields: Glass Beads

Glass Bead Descriptions

Glass Bead Database

Glass Bead Sequence
A Beginning

Major Bead Types/Varieties
Glass Bead Chronology - Start/Finish

Glass Bead Sequence
Major Bead Fields

Glass Bead Sequence
Minor Bead Fields

Glass Bead Sequence
Major & Minor Glass Bead Fields

Glass Bead Chronology
An End, A Beginning

Glass Bead Chronology
Dating

Other Artifacts - Dating

Beads as Heirlooms

Bead Dating Conclusions

Other Factors
Appreciation

Paper 2 Figures

Paper 2 Tables

Paper 2 References

Bead Dating - Conclusions

This paper attempted to establish a glass bead sequence and date the major beads. Given the minor bead reduced feature numbers, dating these beads proved unreliable. For the major beads the approach was to establish a first date of trade for each among the Chickasaw. Conclusions follow…

The database includes 188 features with medium sized glass beads and larger. Perhaps this represents 1-2% of the Chickasaw burials that occurred from 1685 to 1795. That stated the major bead type/varieties appear to offer signatures of association for reliable dating while the minor beads offer sequencing within the bead sequence.

Table 5 includes the number of features with the major dated beads. Note after IIB/IVB the reduction in the number of features for the major beads until WID. The Yemassee war of 1715 interrupted the Carolinian trade in general and the far-away Chickasaw in particular. The reduction in features also may demonstrate the extreme hardships that the Chickasaw encountered during the 1730s to 1760s at the hand of the French and their Indian allies. Even with the silver period beads: WID, IA/IIIA Opaque and WIA M, the number of features is reduced compared to IIA1/IVA1, IIA/IVA Other and IIB/IVB, perhaps indicating a reduction in population by way of French policies against the Chickasaw and/or (exodus) Chickasaw villages moving away from their homeland, see Paper 1.

Major Bead Type/Variety Selections

Selecting IVA2 as a bead variety (i.e. excluding it from IIA/IVA Other) appears justified given its number of features and its early location in the glass bead sequence. Minor beads IIIA1 and IVB (IVA2) the structural paternal twins of IVA2 also appear to have occured early in the trade. IVA2 demonstrates the most association to shell pins. In the very small and small sizes, not included in this study, IVA2 reappears in the silver period perhaps as late as 1780-1790 and less frequently so in the medium size. The low % associations with much later major beads shown on Figure 5 may be explained as heirlooms or the revival of trade of IVA2.

IIA7/IVA7 selection as a separate bead variety appears justified as it occurs early in the trade, just before IIAI/IVA1 and IIA/IVA, and has to have been in vogue when shell discs gained popularity. Perhaps IIA7/IVA7 earned its popularity with the Chickasaw, 36 features, because of its copper mimicking color. During the silver period, the color of this bead reappears in the Chickasaw trade in very small and small sizes but more tubular in shape.

IIA1/IVA1 represents the most features in the database and as such enjoyed a significant popularity among the Chickasaw. This bead type was prevalent at Tunica, and so it was with the Chickasaw. IIA1/IVA1 represents the most popular bead type/variety from a feature standpoint, could it be that its popularity was due to its color which mimics shell? Certainly shell beads were gaining popularity in concert with IIA1/IVA1. Later in the silver period, the color of this bead reappears in the Chickasaw trade in very small and small sizes with a tubular shape.

IIA/IVA Other represents the colored (other than white IIA1/IVA1 and red IVA2) simple and compound beads. Based on their close association personalities with shell and among the predecessor and successor major beads, this bead was deemed a temporal equivalent of IIA1/IVA1, although strictly speaking IIA/IVA Other may lag IIA1/IVA1 in the trade a couple years.

IIB/IVB followed IIA1/IVA1 and IIA/IVA Other temporally. Most of the varieties of IIB/IVB have as a matrix IIA1/IVA1 or IIA/IVA Other. The exception would be Brain's WIIIA1-3 from Tunica which were included in this type. It is interesting to note the relatively short interval of time separating IIA1/IVA1 and IIB/IVB and the great number of features representing IIA1/IVA1, IIA/IVA Other and IIB/IVB. Perhaps the success of the Chickasaw slaving addresses the popularity of these major bead types/varieties within the database.

WIIA introduces faceted bead types, mostly translucent glass and the first major wound bead. The principal colors (amber, blue and clear) and translucency of the glass is also found in its predecessor minor bead type WIIB. This wound, translucent glass continued through to WIIA's minor successor beads - WIA L, WIIC VL and WIB. WIA L also shares these colors but appears predominantly as the translucent pale blue glass which dominates WIC and WIA VL/XL. Perhaps the WIA L translucent pale blues post date the amber, blue and clear colors so prevalent amonst its predecessors.

WIC and WIA VL/XL appear as near neighbors temporally. Again, most of these share the pale blue color and translucency. These bead types when combined with minor bead variety WIIC XL represent the beads with the largest glass mass in the collection. WIA VL/XL reappears within the Chickasaw trade (Courtney-Rausch 53) later in the early 1800s and outside of the village areas. The author has seen WIC and WIIIC bead types also ocurring from isolated farm sites that date to the early 1800s and again outside the Chickasaw villages areas shown, see Figure 1.

The largest glass mass beads, WIA VL/XL and WIC, gave way to much smaller beads, WID and IA/IIIA Opaque. These beads also exist in very small and small sizes, although rarer. While the WIA VL/XL and WIC do not exhibit complimenting, principal brass or silver ornamentation (perhaps their size served as that purpose), the WID and IA/IIIA Opaque commonly occurred with silver ornamentation. Brass wire (neck) torques appeared in the trade briefly (five features in the database) following WIA VL/XL. The torque was replaced by silver as the feature ornamentation. The silver gifts/trade occurred from the 1760s onward with WID, IA/IIIA Opaque and WIA M dominating. The bead size decreased following WIA VL/XL and WIC and did not significantly increase above medium or large size until the early 1800s when WIA VL/XL and WIC trade revived.

Of the minor beads, IA/IIIA Translucent has the most unusual graphic signature. With its two phased trade periods, it appears to have had a revival in trade during the 1740's-50's.

The earliest trade beads appear as very large and extra large tubes: IB/IIIB XL, IA/IIIA VL 1, IA/IIIA XL and IIIA1, although their feature numbers and bead counts were not large. Note that their graphic signatures (Figures 16, 17, 18 and 20) rarely extend beyond IIB/IVB or 1693. It is not known where the source of these beads originated, perhaps Virginia or New York?

Table 7 provides a ranking of major beads by dates and size. Note that the earlier bead type/varieties are larger than the later dated - WIA M, IA/IIIA Opaque and WID.

Table 7 Major Bead Dates/Sizes

From roughly 1700 to 1763, the English supplied beads to the Chickasaw could have been delayed by up to two years, compared to their French supplied native american neighbors. The French had river access from New Orleans, Mobile and Fort Louis to/for their traders and forts, while the English traders among the Chickasaw were issued trading liscenses for 18 months. Given the time to pack to Charleston (or Savannah) and return, a two year period could have lapsed compared to the start of French trade among the neighboring French allied tribes.

Table 8 provides a distribution of bead types/varieties by bead count divided by feature number and by date. Note that the number of beads per feature increases from the earliest trade IVA2 to IIA7/IVA7 to IIA1/IVA1. Then the bead count/feature decreases thru the largest mass beads WIC and WIA VL/XL and rises again through the silver ornament period of WID and IA/IIIA Opaque. While not shown on Table 8, the earliest minor beads, the tube beads IB/IIIB XL, IA/IIIA VL2, IA/IIIA XL and IIIA1 all have lower bead counts/feature than does IVA2, the earliest dated major bead. This attribution indicates at least in the earliest trade times that these tube beads were scarce.

Table 8 Beads/Features by Date