Beadwork is an extremely popular craft among Native Americans.  Glass
beads were introduced by European settlers, and widely distributed by
traders.  They were used to decorate clothing and many other items.  Beads
were also used to make wampum, the strings of beads used for communication
and, later, as a form of money.  This photograph shows a contemporary
Miccosukee woman-from a branch tribe of the Seminoles-stringing beads.  In
that tribe, strings of beads worn around the neck indicate a person's age.