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Iroquois Beaded Souvenirs

Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) beaded souvenirs feature both traditional Native techniques and innovative adaptations of Euroamerican forms and motifs. The Michigan State University Museum collections house over thirty beaded souvenirs dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such items were created and sold in the Northeastern United States and Canada, particularly around popular tourist destinations such as Niagara Falls. These beaded souvenirs provide valuable insights into cross-cultural dynamics among the Iroquois and Euroamericans, and attest to the innovation and adaptability of Iroquois people in the utilization of their traditional skills to provide a source of income during times of social and economic hardship. This virtual exhibit showcases some of the pieces in the MSU Museum collections while providing background information on these beautiful items with a rich and complex history.

Various terms have been used to describe Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) souvenir beadwork, including “whimsies,” “gee-gaws,” and more recently, “tourist art” or “souvenir art”. With the rise of the tourist industry in the nineteenth century, Native Americans, particularly the Iroquois of the Northeastern United States and across the border in Canada, began producing souvenirs to sell to tourists. These included birch bark miniatures, quillwork items such as boxes, and beaded souvenirs.

Beaded souvenirs came in a variety of different shapes which reflected their intended use. Souvenirs were made to be functional as well as serve a decorative purpose, and therefore, in contrast to other art forms, souvenir art often has use wear. Some of the common forms of Iroquois beadwork souvenirs are pincushions, wall pockets, purses, sewing kits, and picture frames. Such items were displayed by Victorian women in the home where they would not only be noticed, but be on hand for storing items such as hat pins, sewing supplies, and combs.

This wall pocket may have held combs and brushes.

Wall Pocket This wall pocket may have held combs and brushes.

This pincushion also functioned as a wall decoration, as evidenced by the beaded strand at the top for attaching to the wall.

A daguerreotype is still framed by this beaded souvenir.