;^2 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



of early date. The finest are from the east side of Cayuga lake, 

 and they vary from nearly 7 ; inches in length to those quite short. 

 Fig. 121 represents one of these. Small perforated seashells are 

 found on recent sites, and were used as beads. Fig. 20^ 22, 26 and 

 30 show some out of several varieties. Fig. 19 is Littorina 

 irrorata, a Long Island shell, found at the fort west of Caze- 

 novia. It is rare north of Maryland. 



Gardiners bay and the east end of Long Island were the original 

 seat of the wampum trade in New York, less ancient than has been 

 supposed, and thence it reached the New England coast in 

 recent times. An early writer said that the Narragansetts 

 " were the most curious coiners of the wampumpeag, and 

 supplied the other nations with many pendants and brace- 

 lets." Roger Williams's account is quoted elsewhere. Adriaen 

 Van der Donck said that the black wampum was prepared from 

 conch shells cast ashore twice a year. The Indians preserved the 

 pillars of these, ground and drilled them. He erred in the 

 species. Daniel Denton wrote a Brief description of New York in 

 1670, which was reprinted in 1845. A note in, this says that the 

 best wampum was made of the hearts of the common hard clam 

 on Long Island, and was sent 'to the western Indians for money 



and council purposes. " The Indians broke off about half an inch 

 of the purple color of the inside, and converted it into beads. 

 These, before the introduction of awls and threads, were bored with 

 sharp stones, and strung upon sinews of animals, and when inter- 

 woven to the breadth of the hand, more or less, were called a belt 

 of seawant or wampum. A black bead, of the size of a large straw, 

 about half an inch long, bored lengthwise and well polished, was 

 the gold of the Indians and always esteemed of twice the value of 

 the white. . . Seawant was also sometimes made from the com- 

 mon oyster shell, and both kinds were made from the hard clam 

 shell. — Denton, p. 41-42 



The writer often finds the white beads made from the columella 

 of small spiral shells. Roger Williams said of the Indians : " Most 

 on the Sea side make Money, and Store up shells in Summer 

 against Winter^ whereof to make their money." 



In his History of Long Island, Thompson says: "The immense 

 quantity that was manufactured accounts for the fact that, in the 



