“Radical Stitch” Hair Pipe Beaded Bracelet Workshop by National Gallery of Canada

COST: $20 includes materials
DURATION: 2 hours

Hair-pipe beads are long cylinder-shaped beads typically made from bones. They have a long history with Indigenous people, as far back as the late 1800’s. These bone beads were first used as trading beads but as manufacturing them became easier and the beads were more readily available in bulk, Indigenous people began using them in their regalia’s, and examples of such are seen even today in both contemporary and traditional styles of beadwork.

In this workshop, Ashley-Rose walks participants through a simplified version of this beadwork using smaller hair-pipe bones and a smaller yet traditional design. Each class is packed with information about the history of the beadwork, what and where the materials come from and at the end of each workshop, the participants walk away with their very own hair-pipe bone bracelets.

Facilitator: Ashley-Rose Machendagoos