From status symbols to marketplace staples: The resurgence of dentalium shells

The Sioux Trading Post, a cultural landmark in Rapid City, South Dakota, since 1957, has been on the frontlines of a major resurgence in dentalium sales since around 2016, when the Dakota Access Pipeline movement made headlines and Indigenous style became a trend. Since then, dealers like Witt have been scrambling to meet demand.

Walmart now sells dentalium after being contacted by a sea shell company in India.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, dentalium couldn’t be found anywhere, said Witt, who has been in the business for nearly two decades.

Traditional sources in the Pacific Northwest have been severely overharvested, so now retailers and vendors are looking eastward to new supplies in Asia and to other alternatives such as 3D printing to meet the need.

Prairie Edge: A Trading Post With Global Appeal

When visitors enter Prairie Edge, they’re often excited, according to Witt, a citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. “People make an effort to come to Prairie Edge because they want to have an experience,” Witt said. “It’s a different kind of shopping that people have not experienced before.”

Guests who venture into the ground-floor retail section see a vibrant array of Pendleton blankets and star quilts, beaded amulets and bags and lapel pins, and a whole library of Indigenous-themed books. The Native American Gallery inside showcases and sells fine American Indian ledger art, bison and wildlife pieces and cast paper sculptures by Patty and Allen Eckman. Upstairs, you’ll find a craft supplies area with items ranging from conch and abalone shells to porcupine quills, deer hooves and dentalium. Currently, Prairie Edge sells 1-ounce packages of around 30 shells in three different sizes, ranging from $12 to $15.

“People make capes out of them, long dangly earrings and necklaces –– they’re really creative with what they come up with,” Witt said. “People who work with dentalium on a regular basis know what they’re looking for and then pick out the best packages they like.”

Chrissy’s Creations: Modern Entrepreneurs Meet Ancient Traditions

Online dealers have also embraced the resurgence. Chrissy Rhoads, owner of the Indigenous beadwork and supply store Chrissy’s Creations, has been in business since 2018. During that time, the Lumbee Tribe citizen began a personal journey of self-discovery and healing, through which she found her true purpose and passion for beadwork.

“As a self-taught artist, I immersed myself in the world of beads, exploring various techniques and designs that resonated with my soul,” Rhoads said.

Initially, she began selling her own beadwork to reconnect and ” keep our traditions alive,” but later, she shifted focus to selling beadwork supplies. Rhoads primarily uses Facebook to share her work and connect with other creators online.

Chrissy’s Creations is based in Princeton, North Carolina, where it now has a storefront for in-person sales. Most of her customers are Indigenous people from tribes across the United States and Canada. “My goal is to offer everyone a glimpse into the world that I love so dearly,” she said. “Our store is a celebration of our heritage and a space where we can share the richness of Indigenous art and culture with the community.”

Rhoads’ best selling product is dentalium. She said Chrissy’s Creations sells over 50,000 lbs. of dentalium annually. Typically, each 8-ounce bag sells for around $45-$55. Chrissy’s Creations primarily sources its supply from India.

“In addition to creating my own beadwork, I also began selling beads and dentalium tusk shells,” she said. “This allowed me to further share the beauty and significance of these materials with others who appreciate and practice the art of beading.”

Sea Around Us: A Family Business Meeting Local Needs

Other small businesses, such as Sea Around Us, have turned to global sources to meet the demands of their local Indigenous population.

Bill Snell started working at Sea Around Us, a supply store and seaside gift shop in Trinidad, California, in the early 1990s. His father founded the shop in 1967, and his mother, Barbara, now owns it.

Many of his customers are members of tribes in Northern California and Oregon. In response to their needs, the shop has expanded its offerings to include seed beads, leather, cowrie shells and other regalia supplies for Native customers.

Seated at a worn table surrounded by $500 and $1,000 strands of layered blue and bone-colored dentalium, Snell often answers curious questions. As customers watch him sort through the shells, he might pause, offering a quick primer:

“They are in the family of Scaphopod, a distant relative of squid and octopus, which are cephalopods,” he said. “They’re an individual organism that lives buried in the sand or the mud. There’s maybe 250 or more known species, some as deep as two miles down, and they’re found in oceans all around the world.”

One of the store’s most in-demand items is dentalium. Depending on the size and the species, the prices can vary widely. Snell said the smooth shells from India were $25-$30 per kilo when they hit the market. Lately, he says the price of dentalium has risen due to a growing supply shortage.

Snell’s father originally acquired some shells from South Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. The shells washed ashore, so locals began to harvest and collect them. “My father ended up purchasing them, so he would clean, sort and sell them.”

Another contact also introduced Snell to dentalium from Europe, which were picked from various beaches in the Nordic region. While Sea Around Us is located in the Pacific Northwest, Snell has never seen them for sale or harvested in the region.

“The rich ones from South Korea that I carry, they’ve gone up since my father was selling them,” he said. “If you bought 1,000, you could get them for 15 cents a shell. Now the same shell, if we are selling them, is more like $15 per shell.”

Due to the growing scarcity of dentalium, it’s becoming more difficult for sellers like Snell to meet the demand from their Indigenous customers. Snell explained that once Sea Around Us runs out of its current supply, they won’t be able to restock until they can find a new source.

“The European shell, which I was buying, they cannot send them any longer because they’re not allowed to remove anything from the beach, even sand,” he said. “So when those are gone, they’ll be gone.”