908 



WAMPUM 



[B. A. B. 



and proportionately long. Some belts 

 were employed to convey a double mes- 

 sage — that is, one half to one person and 

 the other half to another, or two messages 

 to one person or people. 



The chiefs and the elders of the people 

 were accustomed to assemble to rehearse 

 the matters mnemonically connected 

 with the several wampum strings, sheaves 

 of strings, and belts in their keeping. In 

 complex and important affairs, certain of 

 these annalists were charged with re- 

 membering only a particular portion of 

 the record, while to others were entrusted 

 other portions, thereby rendering it the 

 more easy to remember the details of the 

 entire matter without forgetting any 

 material circumstance. To aid these 

 annalists and others they devised the 

 complex and varied forms of wampum 

 strands, sheaves, and belts already noted. 

 Belts were used for various purposes, 

 as the ratification of treaties, the con- 

 firmation of alliances, and the authentica- 

 tion of proposals made by one people to 

 another. 



In addition to packs of skins and furs, 

 the public treasure of a people, such as 

 the tribes of the Iroquois league, con- 

 sisted largely of wampum, together with 

 the strands, bunches, or sheaves of strings 

 or strands, and the belts, scarfs, or sashes 

 made from it, as above described. Not 

 having the use of writing of any kind, 

 the Indians, naturally apt to forget events 

 and occurrences happening among them, 

 devised the variety of uses for wampum 

 and its products. 



In addition to the descriptive names or 

 merely denotive designations of wampum 

 and the things made from it, a number 

 of terms of political import were applied 

 to these wampum strings and belts by 

 the Iroquoian tribes, which indicate the 

 importance attached to these several 

 objects. By all these tribes the term 

 kand^^sd', 'a braid or plaited object,' was 

 applied to strings of wampum of what- 

 ever nature. The Mohawk applied the 

 term gdloiVm' to the belt of wampum, 

 while the Onondaga and the Seneca use 

 Ms'hiven'Hd'. Figuratively, and perhaps 

 ceremonially, these people apply the fol- 

 lowing names to wampum employed 

 officially and formally: karVhwd' {gdV- 

 'hwa', dialectic variant), 'the business, 

 the affair, or the authentic credential ' ; 

 gaiveWnS' , 'the voice, the word, or the 

 proposition,' because every proposal of a 

 public nature, as an edict, required for 

 its authentication a belt or a string of 

 wampum according to its importance and 

 to the exigency of the case; and kdian- 

 eren'"serd' {gdimihVsd' , a dialectic va- 

 riant), 'welfare,' 'the commonwealth,' 

 'justice,' here 'the law.' For wampum 

 the Mohawk have the name oneko'r'ha.'. 



which by strict dialectic changes of sounds 

 {n=t, and the dropping of r) becomes 

 otko'^d', which is the Onondaga and the 

 Seneca name for it. 



The Dutch about New York (Man- 

 hattan) applied the Algonquian term 

 sewan (also written servant, sewared, zee- 

 wand, etc.), 'scattered or loose (beads),' 

 to all shell beads, in the same manner 

 that the English called all peage, or strung 

 beads, wampum, 'white.' The Dutch 

 applied the name Sewan hack;/, ' Wam- 

 pum land,' to Long Island, perhaps in 

 imitation of the natives, for it was noted 

 for its abundance of shells suited to shell- 

 bead making. In New England mow- 

 hackees, 'black beads,' was used. 



As early as 1640, in New England and 

 especially in New Netherland, there was 

 much trouble and discontent owing to 

 the manufacture of counterfeit and un- 

 finished wampum. It was complained 

 that payments were made in nothing but 

 rough, unpolished stuff, while the good, 

 polished beads, commonly called "Man- 

 hattan wampum," was exported, con- 

 cealed, or at least not to be had at all. 

 Many ordinances of the Director and 

 Council of New Netherland were passed 

 in more or less successful attempts to 

 remedy this growing evil. The following 

 citation from such an ordinance, passed 

 May 30, 1650, shows to what an alarming 

 extent wampum was counterfeited: 

 "Whereas, we have by experience, and 

 for a long time seen the decline and daily 

 depreciation of the loose wampum among 

 which are circulating many with holes 

 and half finished; also some of stone, 

 bone, glass? muscle-shells, horn, yea, even 

 of wood and broken beads, together with 

 the manifold complaints of the inhabit- 

 ants that they cannot go to market with 

 such wampum, nor obtain any commodi- 

 ties, not even a small loaf of white bread 

 or pot of beer from the traders, bakers, 

 or tapsters for loose wampum. ... in 

 order hereby to prevent the further im- 

 portation of all lump and unperforated 

 wampum, so as in future to obviate all 

 misunderstanding, the Hon'ble Director 

 and Council aforesaid, do ordain that the 

 commercial shall pass and be good pay as 

 heretofore, to wit, six white or three 

 black for one stiver; on the contrary, 

 poor strung waminim shall pass eight 

 white and four black for one stiver [sti- 

 ver =one penny]." 



On the Pacific coast, according to Pow- 

 ers, Gibbs, and other writers, immense 

 quantities of shell money or beads were 

 in circulation, the value of which fluctu- 

 ated greatly from tribe to tribe. Much 

 of it was made from the so-called tusk- 

 shell, a species of dentalium, which was 

 obtained in the following manner: To the 

 end of a suitable pole a strip of wood was 



