(SPS) -- Sapulpa Indian Education students gathered after school on Wednesday for their weekly session of "Cultural Make and Takes," which consisted of a lesson in the intricate and beautiful art of loom beading.
Creating beaded bracelets, belts, hat bands or lanyards on a loom can take hours, weeks, or even months. Students first designed a pattern on paper, then they picked out tiny seed beads in chosen colors. The next steps of the process include stringing the loom, threading the beads with a needle, then weaving them into a colorful and often complex design.
Cultural liaison Keyla Deerinwater led the lesson, explaining that before European trading, tribes traditionally used shells, rock and pieces of antler to create beaded jewelry and belts.
Michelle Benning, who works with students in Sapulpa's Indian Education Department, says Native American tribes designed specific patterns on beaded belts to signify land ownership and affiliations. Tribal members would combine patterns together utilizing a loom. They would wear the belts as visual displays of treaties and agreements among tribes, which was helpful in language barrier situations.
Students will continue to work on their loom beaded bracelets for several weeks. Sapulpa's Indian Education Department offers cultural lessons throughout the year and as part of Native American Heritage month.
Sapulpa Public Schools is located in the Muscogee Nation Reservation. 1,007 Native American students from 34 diverse tribal nations attend our schools.
Click here to learn more.