The first eleven ranked major glass bead fields from Table 2 "Rank Feature" will be presented graphically. The graphs were generated from database sorts for each major glass bead field. The number of features (not bead specimen counts) is counted for each sort and used to determine the % association of the major glass bead fields. The number of features for the major bead type/variety being evaluated will be used as the divisor to determine the association of that major bead type/variety with the other major bead types/varieties.
The graphs demonstrate a set of up to three charts for each major glass bead field - 'All Features', 'w/o Exclusives' and 'w/o Singles'. The 'All Feature' represents every feature in which the major glass bead occurs, including exclusive and single bead features. For example, IIA1/IVA1 occurs in 69 features. Given this, 69 is the divisor for the chart 'All Feature'. The 'w/o Exclusives' chart represents only those features with other glass bead associations or the non-exclusive bead features. Continuing the example with IIA1/IVA1- it occurs in four features exclusively; therefore, 65 is the divisor used to produce the ’w/o Exclusives’ chart. The last chart ’w/o Singles’ eliminates the single bead and exclusive features of the graphed feature bead field. For IIA1/IVA1, 7 features had single beads, so the divisor eliminates all single bead and exclusive beads. For IIA1/IVA1, 58 features are used to chart; ’w/o Singles’. On the title line of each graph in parenthesis the number of (total or all features/exclusive features/single features) is noted. Note that for each major bead type/variety graph, that bead has a 100% association on its chart.
These (up to) three charts for each major bead present different perspectives of the bead type/variety. The ’All Features’ chart may represent the view of the bead field with the most association skew, as exclusive and single bead features are not isolated. The ’w/o Exclusives’ chart removes the features that do not contribute to glass bead associations. The bead with a number of exclusive occurrences may indicate shifts in ornamentation and/or preference for the bead.
Of the three charts, the ’w/o Singles’ may represent the purest view of the bead type/variety and most importantly, its associations. Single beads, see Table 2, may indicate the use of heirlooms. Certainly two features, one from a collector and one from an archaeologist (Brad Lieb personal communication), produced a single glass bead within the fill above the feature (burial).
A major glass bead sequence will be developed using the major bead graphs and the formative sequence developed on Figures 3 and 4, as needed. For each major bead field, predecessor and successor major beads will be examined using their respective graphs. The progression of the sequence from major bead to major bead should be manifested graphically among the predecessor and successor major bead types/varieties.
The major glass bead sequence demonstrated on the following graphs will be presented per the shell/silver sequence.
Therefore, from Figures 3 and 4, IVA2 is the first major bead in the shell/silver sequence. IVA2 occurred in 22 of the 188 features or 11.7%.
Figure 5 IVA2 Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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Note the 'All' chart for all 22 features, 'w/o Exclusives' and 'w/o Singles' graphs for IVA2 and the other major glass beads. IVA2 shares an almost 60% association to IIA7/IVA7, IIA1/IVA1 and IIA/IVA Other hinting that these beads may be close temporally. Note also the much later associations with IA/IIIA Opaque and WIAM which may demonstrate heirlooms or a revival of IVA2 in the Chickasaw trade.
IIA7/IVA7 is the next bead in the major shell/silver sequence. IIA7/IVA7 occurred in 36 features, one exclusively and nine singly. Note the greater than 90% association to IIA1/IVA1. The association to IIA/IVA Other and IIB/IVB is less at about 70%, like IVA2, note that the successor beads beyond IIB/IVB exhibit low associations. This drop-off in successor bead association represents a significant decline in the bead's trade.
Figure 6 IIA7/IVA7 Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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IIA1/IVA1 represents the next bead in our shell/silver sequence and includes 69 features, the most of any bead type/variety. Note that the number of features has increased from 22 (IVA2) to 36 (IIA7/IVA7) to 69 (IIA1/IVA1) indicating a growing trade.
Figure 7 IIA1/IVA1 Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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Figure 7 demonstrates the relationship to the predecessor and successor beads. Note that IIA1/IVA1 demonstrating a higher relationship to more successor major beads than IIA7/IVA7. With its 69 features, the relationship % is reduced to its immediate neighboring beads.
IIA/IVA Other is the next major bead in the sequence, see Figure 8. This bead type/variety occurred in 52 features and demonstrates on Figure 8 extremely close % association to IIA1/IVA1, indicating how close the beads are temporally. By looking at the major beads in order beginning with IVA2 and watching each immediate successor bead, the major bead sequence becomes clearer.
Figure 8 IIA/IVA Other Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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IIB/IVB is the next major bead in the sequence. Note that the association to IIA1/IVA1 and IIA/IVA Other appears out of sequence which may be due to the close association of these three major bead types/varieties. In fact, as this figure attests, IIB/IVB is a near temporal equal to IIA1/IVA1.
Figure 9 IIB/IVB Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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Note that IIB/IVB and its immediate predecessors demonstrate a gap in the % relationship compared to WIIA and the other major successor beads, indicating a longer gap in time separates them.
Figure 10 WIIA Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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WIIA indicates that its three immediate successors, IIA1/IV1, IIA/IVA Other and IIB/IVB all have similar % associations, thus from its perspective they represent similar timelines.
Note too the emerging relationships to WIC and WIA VL/XL.
Figure 11 WIC Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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WIC represents the first major sequenced bead to break the strong association bonds to IIA1/IVA1, IIA/IVA Other and IIB/IVB. In fact, WIC shows a strong relationship only to WIA VL/XL. Note that WID has an emerging relationship compared to WIIA.
The next major bead in the sequence is WIA VL/XL. Like WIC, WIA VL/XL has waning relations to it previously dominant predecessors, IIA1/IVA1, IIA/IVA Other and IIB/IVB.
Figure 12 WIA VL/XL Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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WIA VL/XL demonstrates even lower association than WIC to IIA1/IVA1, IIA/IVA Other and IIB/IVB.
WID becomes the next major bead in the glass bead sequence.
Figure 13 WID Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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The relationship to IIA1/IVA1 may represent an heirloom. Note that WIA VL/XL and WIC, the two immediate predecessors have all but lost association to WID, indicating another lapse in time. Note the close kinship to IA/IIIA Opaque and WIA M, similar to that demonstrated on Figure 4 in the Silver sequence/association.
The next major bead in the sequence is IA/IIIA Opaque. Like WID, IA/IIIA Opaque shows a potential heirloom relationship to IIA1/IVA1, and the same may be said for its minor relation to IVA2. The higher % relations belong to its predecessor, WID, and its successor WIA M.
Figure 14 IA/IIIA Opaque Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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Figure 15 WIA M Major Glass Bead Feature Associations
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WIA M is the last major featured bead and the last bead in the major bead sequence.
Again, IVA2 and IIA1/IVA1 may represent heirlooms to WIA M, and its graphical relationships to WID and IA/IIIA Opaque are almost equal.
The sequence of the major beads presented is IVA2-IIA7/IVA7-IIA1/IVA1-IIA/IVA Other-IIB/IVB-WIIA-WIC-WIA VL/XL-WID-IA/IIIA Opaque-WIA M. This sequence follows that of the shell/silver sequence shown on Figures 3 and 4. This was predictable as the major beads occurred in sufficient feature numbers. The major bead sequence will be dated; however, first the minor beads will be graphed and added to the sequence.
One observation that may be drawn from the major bead sequence is that drawn beads were in use among the Chickasaw prior to the wire-wound mandrels. More will be said about the bead chronology after the minor bead(s) sequence.
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