Glass beads were a currency of the fur trade, as they were wildly popular with Native Americans, Métis, Europeans, and Americans alike. Beads were strung into necklaces or worked into clothing, bags, or jewelry. Most were plain tube beads, but they could also be multicolored, cut with facets, or molded into complex shapes. This bead is believed to be a rare example of a rosary bead molded with a Tree of Life decoration.