Raised beadwork is a tradition among the Haudenosaunee (members of the Iroquois or Six Nations Confederacy composed of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora).
From the Sixteenth Century to roughly 1860 the style of beadwork was very traditional. I was taught in the traditional way. The style is created by overlapping AB finished/clear crystal or opaque white beads to make an appeared 3D work in beads. Different colors were rarely seen in the beadwork until much later. See my images above and below for how I've adapted the style.
The image on the left is more of the traditional style, while the right image would be considered incomplete. The petals and leaves would be done in the raised style as well. Many traditionalists would argue that the image on the left is not traditional because it incorporates various colors. This would lead us to believe that, although 'incomplete' the image on the right would be more traditional.
We all know that as time goes on, families combine and new encounters arise our life incorporates it all. This can only mean that tradition too is ever changing.
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