While skilled needlework allowed many to earn a living through the creation of beaded items like bags, whimseys, and souvenirs, an eye for design coupled with that skill could result in an exquisite final product. In this present example, black wool provides the backing for colourful florals to pop and bloom. Small petals and dainty singular flowers dance off their stems as beads are clustered together to create patterns and shapes. The whole scene is mirrored about a central point, rising towards the top of the bag, while graceful lines of flowers and trim frame the design as a whole at the top and bottom of the bag. One can easily imagine this bag against a fine evening gown, carried with pride.

References: For more examples of Cree-Metis beadwork and embroidery, see Lois S. Dubin, Floral Journey: Native North American Beadwork, (Los Angeles: Autry National Center of The American West), 2014. For a general overview of Indigenous-made “souvenir” work, see Ruth B. Phillips, Trading Identities: The Souvenir in Native North American Art from the Northeast, 1700–1900, (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1998).

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