Desert Messenger

16 www.DesertMessenger.com April 16, 2014 SEE BEADS PAGE 17 Quartzsite Transit Services Available to our elderly, elderly disabled and disabled populations Our hours of operation are 8:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Pickups will begin at 8:20am; scheduling may be done two weeks in advance. An adult must accompany riders under 10 years of age. There is limited occupancy of 8 passengers depending on the size of the van available. To schedule a pickup call Quartzsite Town Hall at 928-927-4333. VAN SCHEDULE & SUGGESTED DONATIONS FOR SERVICE (round trip) Monday Local QUARTZSITE $ 3 Tuesday (1st & 3rd ) BLYTHE $10 Tuesday (2nd & 4th ) PARKER $10 Wednesday (1st, 3rd, 5th ) YUMA/ALGODONES $15 Wednesday (2nd & 4th) LAKE HAVASU CITY $15 Wednesday Local QUARTZSITE $ 3 Thursdays PARKER $10 Fridays Local QUARTZSITE $ 3 Space donated by Desert Messenger - www.DesertMessenger.com - www.MyQuartzsite.com Glass Trade Beads in southwest AZ Part 2 Excerpts from "In the Shadow of Saguaros" by Rosalee Oldham Wheeler "In the Shadow of Saguaros" Vol. I & II are now available exclusively at the Tyson's Well Museum and Reader's Oasis Book Store Voices from The Past in Quartzsite, AZ From Coronado and Díaz in 1540 to Espejo in 1582, Farfan in 1598, Oñate in 1604, Kino in 1687, and Escalante in 1776 to Lewis and Clark in 1803; each generation of explorers, conquistadors, trap- pers, and colonizer brought with them a variety of items to trade with the American Indians. Of all the items brought for barter, the Indians liked the beautiful shinny beads most of all. Today those highly prized colorful glass trade beads are found in museums and private collections throughout the world and are a source of mystery to those who have an interest in world trade history. There is still much to be learned by those who would like to know more about the history of the beads brought by the earliest visitors to the New World. Of particular interest, is the question, where in Europe did glass trade beads originate? It is thought that the Republic of Venice was probably the most likely source for the illustrious beads. The Vene- tian glass factories of Murano had a near monopoly of glass manufac- ture in Europe from around 1100 to the early 1700's. By law, if a glass worker tried to set up a factory or teach others their craft, their rela- tives could be thrown into prison until the worker returned or was sought out and killed. Little won- der the Venetians wanted to protect this art form. In all likelihood, many years earlier, an enterprising Egyptian had brought the craft to Venice. Two thousand years before anyone ever heard of Venetian glass, the Egyptians were known to have glass factories. Today, in several museums and collections are beads that origi- nated from the continent of Africa and are attributed as beads traded with the Indians. If this is so, who brought them? When? And for what were they bartered? To date, the an- swers to these complex ques- tions have yet to be fully answered. One school of thought is that the large two-inch African designed "chev- ron" beads may have arrived in 1857 with the Beale Expedition when camels were brought into South- western Arizona. Tied at each of the corners of a camel saddle blanket was a large ornamental bead. Since camels, their equipment, and the best known of the expedition's cam- el drivers, Hi Jolly, came from the Middle East, it is very possible that the Beale Expedition is the source of this bead in Southwestern Arizona. While historical records are en- lightening about many of the arti- facts found in archeological sites and provide information on broken pieces of pottery, arrowheads, and Indian beads, there is very little in- formation that can assist historians in dating glass trade beads. Another perplexing question, that even vol- umes of historical records and doc- uments have shed very little light upon, is how the beautiful opaque beads were made. Did Venice truly have a corner on the glass bead market, or did beads from other Eu- ropean countries also fi nd their way into the Southwest? And if they did, by which route? And another thing; did Columbus or his succes- sors, here before Coronado and the Conquistadors of 1540, also bring trade beads to this continent? An- other item of interest is, how long were the glass trade beads made and then continued to be an effec- tive barter with the Indians? In 1970, the Hudson Bay Com- pany celebrated its 300th anni- versary of continued business in Canada and among the historical items displayed at the tricentennial were glass trade beads. From very old invoices, it was learned that the company stocked the beads, but SNOWBIRDS Furnished Trailers For Rent $325/mo. + up Cactus Patch RV Park 928-927-6717 DENTURES $350 Full Set (replacement) • US Military trained w/ 30 plus years experience • Implant Dentures Available • Partials starting at $175 QUARTZSITE SNOWBIRD SPECIAL: Same Day Dentures and 1 Hour Reline/Repairs!! Dental Laboratory Service Call: 623-444-4013 • Goodyear, AZ http://www.DLSAZ.com Mexico Prices...USA Made!!

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