The velvet upper panels and cuffs of the pair shown here are beaded in floral designs. Many different types of patterns have been applied to the front of moccasins. These range from the “jumping pattern,” the zigzag, and the “ottertail pattern” to highly varied flowers.

The use of floral motifs in Ojibwe design predates European contact. In the 19th century, however, floral designs became less geometric and more curvilinear. This change accorded with the general Victorian taste for naturalism. The stylized patterns used earlier in Ojibwe ornamentation declined in popularity. Ojibwe beadworkers began using actual leaves and flowers as models for their designs.
When glass beads were first introduced they were very precious to Native Peoples. Many groups had words for them that placed them in the same category as other translucent objects that they thought of as gifts from the spirit world. Prior to the introduction of glass beads, Ojibwe peoples had fashioned beads from shell, wood, animal bones, horns, and teeth. Glass beads, used as trade goods by European merchants, were manufactured in Czechoslovakia. Many different types of beads became available, but all shared the highly desirable quality of capturing light and suggesting the warmth and strength of the sun. Text by Erin Dinsmore