Shell Beads and Pieces of Copper
These shell beads and pieces of copper were found at a site on the Highwood River in southern Alberta in 1980. The site is believed to date from about 2700 years ago. The shell and copper suggest the Pelican Lake people of the time traded widely to acquire these decorative materials. The copper would have come from the Great Lakes area, about 3000 kilometers away. The shells are not native to Alberta and would have come from the Pacific Coast.
Photo courtesy of the Provincial Museum of Alberta.
