Wampum is the Nargansett word which means ‘white shell beads’ (Prindle, 1994-2003). It is a collection of small beads made from shells that were found in great numbers along the coasts of Rhode Island, southern Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the northern shore of Long Island. The true shells were a rare find anywhere north of Cape Cod. The shells could be found a little below the surface of the water or on the mud (Scozzari, 2003)

There are two types of wampum beads. The white ones, called ‘wompam’ come from the Whelk shell or ‘meteaûhock’. ‘Suckáuhock’ are the purple (and sometimes black) beads that come from the Quahog shell’s growth rings. The Quahog shell is referred to as ‘suckauanaûsuck’ in the Iroquois language. These beads were not made of porcelain, periwinkle shell or bone as some historic documents have stated. Periwinkle could not yet be found in that area, as it was only introduced in the late 1800's (Prindle, 1994-2003).

Some wampum beads which were approximately 4 500

The Onkwehonweh put his agreement in wampum; the whiteman put his in writing. The Onkwehonweh said: 'We must thank th [SIC] Creator for all his creations and greet one another by holding hands to share the covenant that binds our friendship so we may walk upon this earth in peace, trust and friendship.

Wampum beads are found in several diverse sizes and shapes. These may include small discs, tubes, cones, squares, diamonds, or even an hourglass shape (Prindle, 1994-2003)

It is possible that the belt given by the Vatican (papal government) is the oldest one conserved from the Indian-white arrangements, as it dates back from 1610. It symbolizes the alliance between the “Holy See” and the Micmac of Nova Scotia. Today, there are still important diplomatic relations between the current Micmac Nations and the Vatican (Geise, 1995-1996).

It is possible that the Hiawatha Belt is the oldest of all wampum belts. This belt represents the United Nations agreement, which was the first time on the earth where self-governing nations could join under a single government that permitted individual customs and governments of its member nations. The belt commemorates the 5 original Iroquois nations: Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Mohawks (Kanienkehake or People of the Flint), who were later known as the 6 Nations (Haudenosaunee) when they were joined by the Tuscarora nation. On the belt, the Seneca are represented as the square completely on the left, followed by the Oneida and Cayuga as the two central squares, while the Mohawk are depicted as the square on the far right. The Onondaga, who were fire and wampum keepers, are represented “Under the Pine Tree” because the meetings were held in their village at this location (Geise, 1995-1994).

It was possible to create belts using many thousands of beads which displayed elaborate designs of white and purple. These belts were used as a type of memory aid to pass along stories and messages to close by tribes and communities (Freeman, 2003) The beads used to make these belts were rectangular in shape and were polished using sandstone and then woven into a shell beaded material (Geise, 1995-1996). Commonly, the weaving of these great belts consisted of first stringing the seemingly infinite number of beads onto twisted plant fibres, after which they were secured to babiche (strips of rawhide or animal gut, also used to make snowshoes). The instrument most often used in the creation of these belts was a simple loom constructed from a curved stick, but they were also made using a hand-held technique. A large number of weaving methods evolved by the 1700's, and small beads were also being added into the belts and other items (Prindle, 1994-2003).

Some topics in this essay:
Francis Jennings, SIC Creator, Cape Cod, War Scozzari, America American, Late Woodland, Europeans Eventually, Spirit Freeman, Whelk Quahog, Original People, prindle 1994-2003, wampum beads, geise 1995-1996, scozzari 2003, 1994-2003 wampum, prindle 1994-2003 wampum, millimetres diameter, five millimetres diameter, five millimetres, freeman 2003, prindle 1994-2003 purple, white beads, purple wampum, 1994-2003 wampum beads, length five millimetres,