236 ART IN SHELL OF THE ANCIENT AMERICANS. 



a currency of shell was in use among the Atlantic coast tribes when first 

 encountered by the Europeans. Thomas Morton, in speaking of the 

 Indians of New England as far back as 1030, says that " they have a 

 kiiide of beads in steede of money to buy withal such things as they 

 want, which they call wampampeak; and it is of two sorts, the oue is 

 white and the other is a violet coloure. These are made of the siiells of 

 fishe; the white with theai is as silver with us, the other as our gould, 

 and for these beads they buy and sell, not only amongst themselves, but 

 even witli us. We have used to sell them any of our commodities for 

 this wampampeak, because we know we can have beaver again from them 

 for it: and these beads are current in all parts of New England, from 

 one end of the coast to the other, and although some have endeavoured 

 by example to have the like made, of the same kinde of shels, yet none 

 has ever, as yet, obtained to any perfection in the composure of them, 

 but the Salvages have found a great ditt'erence to be in the one and the 

 other; and have kuowne the couuterfett beads from those of their owue 

 making and doe slight them." ' 



According to Roger Williams also, the Indians of New England, as 

 far back as his observations extend, were engaged in the mantifacture of 

 shell money as a well-established industry. It seems altogether impos- 

 sible that such a custom should have been successfully introduced by 

 the English, as the ludian is well known to be averse to anything like 

 labor excepting in his traditional occupations of war and the chase, 

 and if the whites had introduced it, would certainly have looked to 

 them for a supply by means of trade in skins and game rather than 

 apply himself to a new and strange art. Roger W^illiams says that 

 *' they that live upon the Sea side generally make of it, and as many as 

 they will. The Indians bring downe all their sorts of Furs, which they 

 take in the conntrey, both to the Indians and to the English for this 

 Indian Money: this Money the English, French and Dutch, trade to the 

 Indians, six hundred miles in severall ports (north and south from New 

 England) for their Furres, and whatsoever they stand in need of from 

 them." Their methods were also aboriginal, another indication that 

 the art was not of Euroi)ean introduction ; and Williams states that 

 "before ever they had awle blades from Euroi)e, they made shift to 

 bore their shell money with stones."^ 



That wami)um was also manufactured farther .south we learn from 

 Liudstrom, wlio is writing of the Indians of New Sweeden: " Tbeir 

 money is made of shells, white, black, and red, worked into beads, and 

 neatly turned and smoothed ; oue person, however, cannot make more 

 in a day than the value of six or eight stivers. When these beads are 

 worn out, so that tliey cannot be strung neatly, and even on one thread, 

 they no longer consider them good. Their way of stringing them is to 

 rub the whole thread full of them on their noses; if they find it slides 



'Thomas Morton, in Historical Tracts, Vol. II, p. 29. 

 '^ Williams : A Key into the Language of America, p. 144. 



