The Cobalt-Blue Glass Beads of Copper Island

"I have often sat at Pebble Beach or Prayer Cove on Copper Island, running my hands through the clean, fine gravel in the hope of finding glass beads. They are usually blue; I don’t know if it is because all the trading beads were of that colour or if the blue beads were the only ones to survive. They are a connection to 150 years past, a history that is both intriguing and sad. I treasure the few beads I have found, and I imagine the Huu-ay-aht did as well. But those cheap beads also funded the lavish, work-free lifestyle described in stories like Pride and Prejudice. My glass beads were among the many little reasons that those British gentlemen and ladies had nothing to do but marry off their daughters to other rich men." - Jim Badke, The Island and i

In the mid-1800s, Vancouver Island was a British colony leased to the Hudson’s Bay Company. At that point, Victoria was the primary population centre on the coast, and what would become the city of Vancouver consisted only of a few settlers at Gastown. The Chief Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company was James Douglas, who soon also became governor of the new colony. So he reigned supreme and ran the colony like a business. Practically every European citizen was an employee of the HBC.

At that time, trading posts sprang up along the entire coastline of the Island. Sea otters had been nearly eradicated by the first explorers of the West Coast in the 1700s, but fur seals were still abundant and in demand. The primary trade item, however, was the oil of the spiny dogfish, a small shark that moves in schools of hundreds or thousands, feeding on small fish, crabs and octapus. Their fine oil was used in lamps but was especially sought after as one of the best natural oils for machinery, such as the sawmills that were being built along the coast.

The trading post at Clifton Point on Copper Island was managed by Arthur Lang during the winter months. He managed another store in the summer at Dodger’s Cove. In exchange for fur seal hides and dogfish oil, Arthur probably stocked the usual trade items: axes, chisels, awls, rings, looking-glasses, fishing hooks, files, combs, tobacco—and beads.

You might wonder why beads would be popular in the First Nations communities of Barkley Sound. Gilbert Sproat wrote in 1868, “They are fond of toys and ornaments for themselves and children, and are seldom seen without rings, anklets, and bracelets of beads or brass. Their blankets are often tastefully ornamented with beads.” The colour blue was especially significant and valued in FIrst Nations culture as it was rarely seen in natural objects.

Glass beads and a ceramic button from Pebble Beach on Copper Island

The cobalt-blue beads that I found on the beaches of Copper Island most likely came from Italy. A long, thin tube was formed by two workers walking quickly away from one another as they pulled on a glass bubble. The tube was then sliced into beads and tumbled into a spherical shape. Though various colours were used, the cobalt blue beads are the most commonly found and seem to have been the most valued.

Interestingly, these beads are still an object of trade. A quick look online for “blue trading beads” brings up dozens of sites offering these beads for sale, both authentic and Authentic! It seems to me that the ones claiming to be authentic are the least likely to be so, which is also true of people. Nelson Dunkin was a genuinely authentic character in my life.

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