Arrow head shaped pin cushion with decorative bead work. According to Carol Conn of Connecticut Country Antiques, before the arrival of the Europeans, members of the Iroquois nation (six tribes, Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga and Tuscarora) were skilled at moosehair embroidery on birchbark. (see Birchbark purse) By the middle of the 18th century, the British were actively seeking “Indian curios” and the Iroquois started making items to sell in order to help them support their families. By the 19th century, after land appropriations and loss of trade opportunities, Iroquois began selling beaded work that would appeal to tourists – pincushions, picture frames, match holders, boxes, purses and trinkets – to sell at Niagara Falls, state fairs, train stations, and public events. They were hugely collectible.