Bead Talk: Indigenous Knowledge and Aesthetics from the Flatlands

by Carmen L. Robertson (editor), Judy Anderson (Editor), Katherine Boyer (Editor)

Sewing new understandings Indigenous beadwork has taken the art world by storm, but it is still sometimes misunderstood as static, anthropological artifact. Today’s prairie artists defy this categorization, demonstrating how beads tell stories and reclaim cultural identity. Whether artists seek out and share techniques through YouTube videos or in-person gatherings, beading fosters traditional methods of teaching and learning and enables intergenerational transmissions of pattern and skill.  In Bead Talk , editors Carmen Robertson, Judy Anderson, and Katherine Boyer gather conversations, interviews, essays, and full-colour reproductions of beadwork from expert and emerging artists, academics, and curators to illustrate the importance of beading in contemporary Indigenous arts. Taken together, the book poses and responds to philosophical questions about beading on the How do the practices and processes of beading embody reciprocity, respect, and storytelling? How is beading related to Indigenous ways of knowing? How does beading help individuals reconnect with the land? Why do we bead?  Showcasing beaded tumplines, text, masks, regalia, and more, Bead Talk emphasizes that there is no one way to engage with this art. The contributors to this collection invite us all into the beading circle as they reshape how beads are understood and stitch together generations of artists. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Art

200 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2024

Reviews

[shems · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful conversations!

[Clover · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
Beautiful and full of knowledge.

This book is beautiful. It's broken into two parts, conversations and essays. I'm not used to reading interviews with people, but I still liked it. The pictures are wonderful, I wish there was more though, the essays didn't get many.

My only complaint is a personal thing. The pages are all glossy because of the photos. I understand. But I read a lot at night or in low-light situations and the glare on the pictures and text is annoying. So don't do what I do, read in better light and it shouldn't be a problem.

This cover is deceiving. It's very minimalistic and I didn't like it. But inside is a multitude of stories, histories, and knowledge. It's a book we need. It focuses on the plains region, so I hope that more books come out to showcase more regions as there is so much diversity throughout Turtle Island. And I love anything local to BC, but this is still a wonderful book.

Amazing library book. Request it.
If your library doesn't have it, request that they buy it.

June 2024