234 ART IN SHELL OF THE ANCIENT AMERICANS. 



Sir John Lubbock, in his "Prehistoric Times," exi^resses surprise at the 

 great number of beads sometimes found, instancing the Grave Creek 

 mound of Virginia, which contained between three and four thousand. 

 This number will, however, appear very insignificant when compared 

 with a collection such as the costume of the great King Philip could 

 have furnished. 



Drake relates that Philip had a coat "made all of wampampeag," 

 which, when in need of money, he " cuts to pieces, and distributes it 

 plentifully among the Nipmoog sachems and others, as well to the east- 

 ward as southward, and all round about."' By adding to this store 

 of beads the contents of two belts, one of which was nine inches in 

 breadth, and so long that when placed upon the shoulders it reached to 

 the ankles, we conclude that the greatest collection ever taken from a 

 prehistoric mound could not comjjare for a moment with the treasure of 

 this one historic chieftain. 



A great deal of art is shown in the stringing and mounting of beads. 

 The simplest form is a single strand, a twisted string of vegetable fiber, 

 a strip of buckskin, or a bit of sinew being passed through the perfora- 

 tions. Again, rows of strands are placed side by side and fastened at 

 intervals in such a manner as to keep them approximately parallel, or 

 the beads when long are put on equidistant cross strands, the longitu- 

 dinal strands serving to keep them in place; they are also woven into 

 the fabric by being mounted upon one of the strands before twisting. It 

 is also a very usual practice to sew thqjn on strips of cloth or buckskin, 

 patterns being produced by using beads of different colors. The man- 

 ner of stringing in the manufacture of belts will be given in detail under 

 Mnemonic Uses of Beads. 



BEADS AS CURRENCY. 



It will i^robably be imjiossible to prove that the jirehistoric peoples of 

 North America employed a medium of exchange in a manner corre- 

 sponding to our use of money. It is a well-known fact, however, that a 

 currency of shell beads was in general use throughout the Atlantic coast 

 region very early in the historic period. 



Of all objects within the reach of savage peoples, shells, either in their 

 natural forms or in fragments artificially fashioned for convenience of 

 use, are the best adapted for such a i)uriiose. 



In examining the contents of ancient cemeteries and mounds where all 

 objects of value were to some extent deposited, we find no other relics 

 that could have been conveniently used for such a puri^ose. 



It is not probable that objects subject to rapid decay, such as wood, 

 fruits, and seeds, could ever have come into general use for money, 

 although such objects are employed to some extent by savages in dif- 

 ferent parts of the world. The unlimited supply or easy manufacture of 

 these objects would be against their use for this purpose, whereas the 

 difficulty of shaping and perforating the flinty snbstance of shells would 

 prevent such a plentiful production as to destroy the standard of value. 

 ' Drake : Book of Indians, p. 27. 



