Beads: Crow vs Pony

Crow and pony beads are basically the same thing. They were introduced by the French Fur Traders to Native Americans, around 1675. Both types of beads have large holes which make them easy to string onto leather and into hair. Both are also barrel shaped. Crow refers to the Crow Tribe and is the larger (6mm-9mm) of the two. The Crow's horses proudly sported these beads in their manes!

Pony beads are considered the smaller size bead (4mm) and are used on clothing especially suede strips. Sometimes pony beads are more tube shaped but still have large holes. Legend has it that traders traveling on ponies were responsible for distributing them around the United States.

According to The History of Beads, From 30,000 B.C. to the Present by Lois Dubin:

Glass beads carried by Europeans during the early days of trade among Indians in the American Southwest and Northwest may frequently have been of Chinese origin, including the well-known "padre" and "pony" beads.

Whoa! Chinese? Yes, the bead trade spans not only our entire globe but also thousands of years. The Chinese would welcome French and American ships to their ports and trade silks, spices and beads for beaver pelts and other furs from North America. The clipper ships would go back to Alaska and the Northwest and French and American "mountain men" would trade the beads with Native Americans for the pelts. Spices and silks would make their way back to the Northeast and Europe.