354 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 
trade currency only among the savages of New Netherlands. So 
merchants here with whom we have consulted, fear that the natives 
may change their minds in this respect, and state that the tribes 
begin to incline towards another kind of bead, which they mix with 
the wampum for the sake of ornament.” This was but a prospec- 
tive evil. As yet the Indians wanted no gold or silver, but did 
want wampum. ‘Wampum is the source and mother of the beaver 
trade, and for goods only without wampum we can not obtain 
beaver from the savages. If we receive no wampum from outside— 
we have none in our country—this would certainly cause a diversion 
of the beaver trade.” In losing part of Long Island much of the 
wampum supply was lost, though by no means all. The colonists 
complained in 1649 that “the English tried to exclude Dutch from 
Indian trade, so as to have all the profits of the wampum trade.” 
The following year ‘Van Tienhoven said that Gardiners bay was 
“well adapted to secure the trade of the Indians in Wampum, (the 
mine of New Netherland) since in and about the abovementioned 
sea and the islands therein situate, lie the cockles whereof Wampum 
is made, from which great profit could be realized.” It is added 
that “the greater part of the wampum is manufactured there by the 
natives.” The preceding year it was said that Indian “money con- 
sists of white and black Wampum which they themselves manufac- 
ture; their measure and value is the hand or fathom.” 
Other articles fluctuated in price with wampum. In 1648 trade 
had been injured by Indian wars. The Dutch had to “give two 
fathom of white and one of black wampum for one beaver. 
Each fathom of wampum contained three ells; some one-sixteenth 
less. The Indians select the largest to trade.” The prices estab- 
lished in 1657 were “for a merchantable beaver two strings of wam- 
pum; for a good bear-skin, worth a beaver, two strings of wampum 
for a deer-skin 120 wampum.” In 1660 the Senecas 
would come and trade with the Dutch if they would give 30 hand- 
fuls of black or 60 of white wampum for a beaver. In 1655 beavers 
were valued at nine guilders in repaying 1500 guilders of black and 
white wampum. We need not quote its many other uses in trade, 
_ except that part of the payment to the Mohawks for lands west of 
= ss ee ——. 
