I’ve always found it helpful to go to the language of the people that I’m studying for clues if I’m looking for something obscure.  A tidbit of information that I found very interesting is about Chinook Jargon, which was the language of trade for many, many centuries before the white man arrived on the North Coast. “By at least the 1800’s, the total number of words in Chinook Jargon falls a little short of five hundred words and the word for large blue glass bead, Ka-mo’-suk, is numbered among them.  ~Ka-mo’-suk~, n. Chinook, idem. Beads. Tyee kamosuk (chief beads) is the name for the large blue glass beads (trade beads).” (6) George Gibbs says that this word is a Nootka word and we know that the Nootka, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, were among the very first contacted by Europeans.

There were also Spanish visitors to Nootka Cove, Perez in 1774, who had come from Madrid, Spain, Mexico City, and Acapulco then north to test the Russian presence, trading all the way. The French, La Perouse and de Langle followed Cook’s route in 1786. And more Englishmen, Capt. George Vancouver, who was originally with Capt. Cook, returned in 1792 searching for the Northwest Passage, trading with the natives all the way. Also an Italian, Alejandro Malaspina, sailing for the Spanish was a contemporary of George Vancouver was sailing North coast in 1791-92. There were the Boston men, William Sturgis for one in 1798. “The crew might stay one season, which means a voyage of 22 to 24 months; but they usually stayed two summer seasons, making a three year voyage. Essentially they went to procure sea otter skins which were obtained from the natives by barter, carried to Canton, and there exchanged for the productions of the Celestial Empire, to be brought home or taken to Europe, thus completing what may be called a Trading Voyage.” (7)

If you’re interested in a good read, check out Hilary Stewart’s, “The Narrative of the Adventures and Sufferings of John R. Jewitt, captive of Maquinna.”  Hilary writes a very accurate and interesting account of a young man in 1802 sailing on the Boston from England for the Pacific coast of North America.  “At Nootka Sound on Vancouver Island, the ship stopped to trade for furs with the native people.  Days later, the powerful chief Maquinna and his warriors massacred the ship’s entire crew – except for Jewitt and John Thompson.”  In John Jewitt’s own words is recorded; “Captain John Salter took on board the ship BOSTON, John Jewitt as blacksmith.  The ship having undergone a thorough repair and been well coppered, proceeded to take on board her cargo, which consisted of English cloths, Dutch blankets, looking glasses, beads (trade beads), knives, razors which were received from Holland, some sugar and molasses and munitions, etc.” (8) “March 12, 1803, the American ship Boston, had passed the west of Vancouver Island and had set anchor into the muddy bottom of Friendly Cove, about 5 miles from Yuquot, a Nootka Village.  Like most European and American ships, the cargo was full of trade goods; Razors, looking glasses, beads, English cloth, Dutch blankets and molasses, plus an assortment of weapons.” (9)  I’m bringing the situation of John Jewitt up because of the actually recorded ships records referring to trade beads on board boat in 1802. These were various beads, but most important to the trading at that time were the faceted Blue Russian Trade Beads.

(6)  Gibbs, George, Documented; Dictionary of the Chinook Jargon, or, Trade Language of Oregon, 1815-1873.
(7)   Holm, Bill, and Vaughan, Thomas, Soft Gold, the Fur Trade and Cultural Exchange on the Northwest Coast, 1982.
(8)  Stewart, Hilary, The adventures and sufferings of John R. Jewitt, 1987
(9)   Salter, Capt. John, Columbian Centinel and Massachusetts Federalist, April 25 1804.

You can find more photos of trade beads on Janet Walker’s page.