For the love of Dentalium

Dentalium, a smooth, tusk-like mollusk shell, has long been a prized adornment for Native peoples in the Great Plains. The shells, also prized by Pacific Northwest tribes, were traditionally harvested in the Northwest before making their way inland to tribes such as the Lakota or the Mandan and Hidatsa. Today, Native peoples have discovered a new trade route thousands of miles from North America. It now includes fishermen in India who harvest the tusk shells from the Arabian Sea before shipping mainly to the U.S. and Canada.

Buffalo’s Fire invites readers to join us as we roll out our dentalium series. We talk to the Native artists and vendors who share an age-old affinity for acquiring dentalium shells for decorating items, including clothing, hair ties, earrings and capes. We also talk to the fishermen in India who are now part of the modern-day dentalium trade route. Just as our Native ancestors coveted the tusk shells, the pursuit and use of dentalium lives on.