Beading has always been a very important element of the culture of Indigenous Peoples in what is now Canada and the United States. Some beadwork was made to be traded at trading posts, while some was made for ceremony or special events. Prior to contact, Indigenous people would bead with materials found on the land, such as shell, bone, pearl and stone. It wasn’t until after European settlers arrived that more modern, brightly coloured materials such as glass and ceramic came into use.