In the early 1800s, demand for native goods in Europe changed the cultural dynamic of native crafts. Moose-hair embroidery and porcupine quills boxes were traded for iron tools, guns and seed beads. Dependence on European trade items for everyday use changed native crafts from utility to trade items, or "arts for sale." Moose-hair designs in birchbark would trade as cigarette holders, miniature canoes and serving trays. Other native crafts that were traded by Eastern native tribes of Canada were Bandoleer bags stitched with European ribbons and beads. The closer a native group was to the Hudson Bay Co., the more elaborate its decorations of silk and ribbons were in the clothing design.
The Hudson Bay Co. hired native women to furnish European homes with floral designs from the New World. The native men supplied the company with furs until the animals were hunted to near extinction. Tribes closest to the Hudson Bay had access to a variety of seed bead colors. The native crafters' designs changed from naturalistic floral motifs to geometric floral patterns as European trade traveled west from the Hudson Bay into the Great Lakes region.
In the Canadian West, tribes were studied because of journalists and government-funded schools. Crest poles and masks are native crafts for these tribes. The crest pole shows family events such as deaths and marriages. Some crest poles have hollow centers, suggesting a ceremonial purpose.
The Coast Salish and the Kwakiutl used red cedar planks because of the amount of rainfall in their region. The constant humidity caused other wood to rot quickly. The home was a modular structure that had the family's crest pole displayed in the front. These crest poles were often stolen, sold or given away. The Bella Cola natives' homes had an entrance that resembled the open beak of a bird through which you would enter during a ceremony.
Wood and stone figurine carvings are found across all tribes. Each animal has a mythology according to the native community's culture. Some ceremonial pipes include animal figures to invoke spirit guides. Canadian native crafts such as building water vessels, constructing ceremonial relics and performing native music are skilled artisan trades.