Adornment, Dance Painting and Regalia

Boas recorded Secwepemc personal adornment in 1890: "Women wear dentalia in the perforated septum of the nose. Men and women wear ear-ornaments of shells or teeth all around the helix. Both men and women were tattooed, the designs consisting of one or three lines on each cheek and three lines on the chin."

Of dance, he wrote: "In dancing the face is painted with designs representing sun, moon, or stars, birds or animals. They may take any design they like. The hair is strewn with eagle down."

Dentalium shells were more than ornament; they were currency. "Dentalia and copper bracelets served as money. The former were obtained by trade from the Chilcotin, who for this reason had the name Psqi'qenem, i.e., dentalia people."

Beadwork carries these traditions forward. The Wikipedia overview of Plateau peoples records that "beaded items, such as drums, woven bags and other crafts are used in traditional celebrations," and that "today, Native people still make traditional clothing, bags, baskets, and other items."

Detailed documentation of specifically Secwepemc beadwork styles is sparse in openly licensed sources; the fullest public presentation is in community institutions such as the Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park, which displays "traditional Secwepemc tools, clothing and oral histories."