Wampum and North American beadwork

The Native peoples of North America have worked beads for centuries: first of shell, bone and porcupine quills, and later of glass. A wampum belt is not just an ornament; it is also memory, agreement and message.

Who and where #

Wampum belongs to the peoples of the Northeast, such as the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) and several Algonquian peoples. Glass beadwork is characteristic of the Plains peoples and the Métis, among others.

Materials and techniques #

• Wampum: cylindrical beads of clam shell (purple) and whelk shell (white), drilled and strung.
• Trade glass beads (seed beads), which from the 18th and 19th centuries largely replaced porcupine quills.
• Leather, cloth and sinew or thread to sew and weave them.

Traditional pieces and their meaning #

• Wampum belts: woven with white and purple beads; used to record agreements, seal treaties and carry messages. The Hiawatha Belt of the Haudenosaunee is associated with the confederacy of nations.
• Beaded necklaces and pectorals: jewelry of ceremony and identity, with geometric designs that identify a people or family.
• Floral beadwork: the Métis are known as the “flower beadwork people” for their floral beaded motifs.

The tradition today #

Native peoples keep the tradition of beads alive in workshops, communities and fairs. Wampum is not “Indian money”: colonists used it as currency, but for the peoples who made it its main role was ceremonial, diplomatic and as memory.

See also #

• Mother-of-pearl and shells
• Glass and crystal
• Leather
• How to buy artisan and Indigenous jewelry ethically