What is Wampam?

Wampum is a chain of white beads. These beads were traditionally produced by native Americans in the northeast region of what is now called the United States of Molluscs such as Quahog Clam and Wheel, and were of great cultural and festive importance. In American museums you can see several examples of artifacts made of shell beads, works of art depicting early Americans and in private collections of various indigenous American tribes and communities.

There is some confusion about the meaning of the word "wampum". The word is short for wampumpeag , an algonquin word that literally means "a string of white shell beads". More valuable dark and purple beads were known as sewant or Sucksuahock , although today people often refer to them as wampum. This term also applies specifically to the beads that have been strung, not to the loss of beads. However, these definitions were blurred over time, especially Ján European Community. People could sealUVY, elections, marriages and other agreements with Wampum and beads were also used as memory aids to help narrators and help the tribes to preserve oral traditions. The belt could contain a number of motifs that told the story in the pictures, which caused memories of the tribe members to remember the events in tribal history.

When European colonists arrived in North America, some were introduced with Wampam and other gifts of the Indian community. Europeans introduced the concept of using beads as money, which led to a common incorrect perception that the shells were in the form of a currency among Indian tribes. In fact, they were mainly Europeans who considered it a currency, and the natives accepted the trend and use wampum in the European store. Europeans also built Wampum factories, with the ability to produce a large number of large beads for use in a shop.

these tubularBeads could be strung in simple chains or more decorated belts, some of which were woven for greater strength. Several depictions of colonists who settled in the northeast include the rendering of wampum strips presented by local indigenous Americans as a gesture of goodwill or teach contracts and agreements concluded with Europeans. Several indigenous American tribes from this area use the stylized Wampum drawings in their flags that refer to the cultural meaning of Wampuk for their people.