University of Virginia Library

[Lewis:][38]

Mr. Garrow a Frenchman who has lived many years with
the Ricares & Mandans shewed us the process used by those
Indians to make beads. the discovery of this art these nations
are said to have derived from the Snake Indians who have
been taken prisoners by the Ricaras. the art is kept a secret
by the Indians among themselves and is yet known to but few
of them. the Prosess is as follows.—Take glass of as many
different colours as you think proper, then pound it as fine as
possible, puting each colour in a seperate vessel. wash the
pounded Glass in severtal waters throwing off the water at

each washing, continue this opperation as long as the pounded
glass stains or colours the water which is poured off and the
residuum is then prepared for uce. you then provide an
earthen pot of convenient size say of three gallons which will
stand the fire; a platter also of the same material sufficiently
small to be admitted in the mouth of the pot or jar. the pot
has a nitch in it's edge through which to watch the beads when
in blast. You then provide some well seasoned clay with a
proportion of sand sufficient to prevent it's becoming very
hard when exposed to the heat. this clay must be tempered
with water untill it is about the consistency of common doe.
of this clay you then prepare, a sufficient number of little
sticks of the size you wish the hole through the bead, which
you do by roling the clay on the palm of the hand with your
finger. this done put those sticks of clay on the platter and
expose them to a red heat for a few minutes when you take
them off and suffer them to cool. the pot is also heated to
cles [cleanse] it perfectly of any filth it may contain. small
balls of clay are also mad[e] of about an ounce weight which
serve each as a pedestal for a bead. these while soft ar destributed
over the face of the platter at su[c]h distance from
each other as to prevent the beads from touching. some little
wooden paddles are now provided from three to four inches in
length sharpened or brought to a point at the extremity of the
handle. with this paddle you place in the palm of the hand
as much of the wet pounded glass as is necessary to make the
bead of the size you wish it. it is then arranged with the
paddle in an oblong from [from], laying one of those little
stick of clay crosswise over it; the pounded glass by means of
the paddle is then roped in cilindrical form arround the stick
of clay and gently roled by motion of the hand backwards an
forwards untill you get it as regular and smooth as you conveniently
can. if you wish to introduce any other colour you
now purforate the surface of the bead with the pointed end of
your little paddle and fill up the cavity with other pounded
glass of the colour you wish forming the whole as regular as
you can. a hole is now made in the center of the little pedestals
of clay with the handle of your shovel sufficiently large
to admit the end of the stick of clay arround which the bead is
formed. the beads are then arranged perpendicularly on their
pedestals and little distance above them supported by the little
sticks of clay to which they are attatched in the manner before
mentioned. thus arranged the platter is deposited on burning
coals or hot embers and the pot reversed with the apparture in
its edge turned towards covers the whole. dry wood pretty
much doated (doughted)[39] is then plased arron [around] the pot
in sush manner as compleatly to cover it [It] is then set on
fire and the opperator must shortly after begin to watch his
beads through the apparture of the pot le[s]t they should be
distroyed by being over heated. he suffers the beads to
acquire a deepred heat from which when it passes in a small
degree to a pailer or whitish red, or he discovers that the beads
begin to become pointed at their upper extremities he removes
the fire from about the pot and suffers the whole to cool gradually.
the pot is then removed and the beads taken out. the
clay which fills the hollow of the beads is picked out with an
awl or nedle. the bead is then fit for uce. The Indians are
extreemly fond of the large beads formed by this process.
they use them as pendants to their years, or hair and sometimes
wear them about their necks.[40]