WAMPUM AND SHELL ARTICLES 439 



ties of the things I was teaching them. . . At other times I sus- 

 pended by the same cord a beautiful collar of porcelain before the 

 altar of my chapel to teach them that there was only one God. . . 

 Some strings of bugle beads to explain the liberality of which 

 Tieaven made use in rewarding all good actions." — Relation, 1670. 

 He used these as rewards himself. 



It was noted of wampum and other presents in 1665: " They give 

 to each of these presents a name, very fitting in their tongue, to 

 signify in brief all that they wish to say, in order that those presents 

 which they preserve may also preserve, by this name, the memory 

 of the things which they signify." In 1656 it was also said: "Each 

 present ha^ its different name, according to the several effects which 

 they claim to imprint in their minds and in their hearts." In ac- 

 cordance with their ideas of the soul, "they usually make one 

 present to put ba'ck the reasonable soul in the seat of reason." 



In the account of a conference at Montreal in 1756, it is said in a 



note: 



These belts and strings of wampum are the universal agent 

 among Indians, serving as money, jewelry, ornaments, annals, and 

 for registers; 'tis the bond of nations and individuals; an inviolable 

 and sacred pledge which guarantees messages, promises and 

 treaties. As writing is not in use among them, they make a local 

 memoir by means of these belts, each of which signifies a particular 

 affair or a circumstance of afifairs. The chiefs of the villages are 

 the depositories of them, and communicate them to the young 

 people, who thus learn the history and engagements of their nation. 

 VCallaghan. Colonial hist. 10:556 



While all presents had names and meanings, it was observed in 

 1642 that three belts were often given in freeing a captive, in order 

 to break his three bonds, the legs, arms and waist. This was not 

 a ransom, which was more personal, but was the gift of the nation 

 setting the prisoner free. This was among the Algonquins. In 

 raising or reviving a chief the Hurons made presents for the princi- 

 pal parts of the body. 



As the Indians enjoyed fun, the Delawares threw wampum on the 

 ground for a scramble at some of their feasts. The Hurons had a 

 funeral game for prizes, much like the college cane rush. At the 

 Nipissirinien dead feast in 1642, still farther northwest, the bones 



