Linda, I wonder if you are not confusing the so-called Russians which are
polyhedral drawn tubes with the corners ground off with the large,
blue, pentagonal-sectioned ridged tubes with pressed facets which are of
wound contruction? The latter are the ones so commonly associated with
Statia and much sought after by both locals and visitors. While the
cornerless forms have been found on Statia, they are far less common.
Karlis

On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 5:18 PM, Linda Stine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Great discussion.  I think we had these beads at Curriboo Plantation and
> Yaughan in SC (last quarter 18thc. ~ early 19th if I recall).  Ask Pat
> Garrow or Tom Wheaton (or check DAACS?).  Also saw may of this type around
> the necks of collectors on St. Eustatius with Norman Barka.
>
>  In *Mercantilism and Piedmont Peltry* I discuss ethno-historical accounts
> of SE Native American preferences for trade goods such as beads (Stan
> South's monograph series) and Melanie Cabak, Mark Groover and I did so in
> an old HA article asking why we find these beads at lowcountry sites.  I
> know Norman Barka used to tell me I would never know if these items
> symbolized anything in particular and to concentrate on seeking information
> on production and dating, but why not ponder, especially if there is
> evidence for cultural and/or individual preferences?
>
> Linda
>
> On Wed, Dec 7, 2011 at 1:46 PM, Burgess, Laurie <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Bill Billeck asked me to pass along the following about these beads: "The
> > earliest dated site I know of is Fort Atkinson in Nebraska, 1820-1826."
> >
> > Bill worked up the fort's bead collection and says that the overall
> report
> > on Fort Atkinson is currently in production.
> >
> > Laurie
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> > Karlis Karklins
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 12:22 PM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: "Russian" faceted beads in the southeastern U.S.
> >
> > The so-called "Russian" beads (aka tubular, cornerless
> > hexagonal/heptagonal/octagonal) are very distinctive and widely
> distributed
> > being widely found in North America with concentrations in the Northwest,
> > Great Lakes, and Florida. They were also popular in Central America
> > (Guatemala) and Africa. I cannot recall their presence in the Middle East
> > or Asia. Would like to hear about their presence there if anyone has any
> > information. There are thick-walled and thin-walled examples.
> >
> > The beads were manufactured in Bohemia but when exactly they began to be
> > made is still uncertain. I believe the earliest date postulated for them
> > was ca. 1775 in the Great Lakes region by George Quimby though he later
> > admitted that was probably too early. When analyzing the beads recovered
> > from St. Eustatius by Norm Barka, I performed a survey of the literature
> > and found relevant data for this type from 36 sites. This revealed the
> > following. The site date range was 1680-1910 with a core date of
> 1805-1860
> > (the optimal period of bead utilization based on the relative frequency
> of
> > sites producing this type over time) and a mode of 1830. This was
> published
> > in BEADS 1 back in 1989. There certainly has to be more evidence now to
> > refine the core dates and it would be great if someone would undertake a
> > study of them like the one Bill Billeck did for the distinctive
> > red-on-white or cornaline d'Aleppo beads published in BEADS 20.
> >
> > Bob Hoover's comment that native peoples had bead preferences is very
> true.
> > While the indigenous peoples may have initially been wowed by all the new
> > and exciting items presented to them by early explorers and traders,
> beads
> > included, and took whatever they were offered, they quickly became adept
> at
> > specifying exactly what they wanted and negotiating better deals.There
> > are a number of recorded instances where eager traders who had brought
> > sacks of beads popular last season hoping to make a killing were
> > chagrined to find that the same people were no longer interested in them
> > and wanted new styles, sizes and colors.
> >
> > Karlis
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Dr. Linda France Stine, RPA
> 336-693-1717
> 436 Graham Building
> Department of Anthropology
> University of North Carolina Greensboro
>



-- 
Karlis