Tracing the trade of heirloom beads across Zomia: A preliminary analysis of beads from the upland regions of northeast India and mainland Southeast Asia

This chapter summaries a recent compositional study of ethnographic heirloom beads from several ethnic groups in upland northeast India and Southeast Asia, a geographic region sometimes known as Zomia. The beads were analysed using X-ray emission (PIXE) and can be classified into three groups: potash-lime (K-Ca), soda-lime (Na-Ca), and a third group that may be a mixture of these two glass types. We find that all three glass types appear to have been exchanged across Zomia, suggesting intra-regional trade or perhaps that these different groups received beads from similar sources.