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Course: Art of the Americas to World War I > Unit 5
Lesson 2: EastAlgonquian Wampum
Wampum consists of small cylindrical beads, often about 5-7 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. Historically these were made from purple and white shells, the purple coming from the edge of the quahog clam (Mercenaria mercenaria), and the white from the columns of univalve whelks (Busycon).
Wampum beads were manufactured by Algonquian-speaking peoples along the coast of New England, by Iroquois, and by white manufacturers (Dutch and British soldiers, for instance). Later they were made in specific factories in New Jersey and elsewhere, until the nineteenth century. In the early seventeenth century, the Dutch realized that wampum could be used as a currency in the inland fur trade with the Iroquois; they introduced the idea to the Pilgrims in Massachusetts in the 1620s.
The Iroquoian- and Algonquian-speaking peoples used wampum for decoration and adornment. It was also used to make woven belts, with the two colors acting as mnemomic devices commemorating agreements and events important in politics, history and religion. This example has a design of three rectangles, suggesting an alliance of three groups in war, suggested by the use of purple.
Before European contact, when metal tools became available, flat disc shaped beads were made. Metal drills enabled the creation of cylindrical beads. From the late eighteenth century these were replaced by imitation glass wampum, probably made in Venice.
Suggested readings:
J.C.H. King, First peoples, first contacts (London, The British Museum Press, 1999).
© Trustees of the British Museum
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- Did the Indians in the Smokey Mountains manage to live there up through till today? Do they still have camps or a reservation there?
"Most Cherokees were forcibly removed from North Carolina to Indian Territory in the 1830s. Some people, the Eastern Band of Cherokee, remained in the Smokey Mountains."(3 votes)- Yes the Cherokees are still in NC; here's the link to their reservation: http://visitcherokeenc.com(6 votes)
- What did they use for the 'string' binding the beads together? Also, The belt looks nice.(2 votes)
- Do native Americans have the rights to their artifacts or does the museums have thr eights to them?(1 vote)
- From the author:That depends on several factors and whether you are asking about legal or moral rights. I suggest you look at the section titled ARCHES. You will find the answer here: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/special-topics-art-history/arches-at-risk-cultural-heritage-education-series(3 votes)
- On Picture 3, Its a very beautiful basket, But how do you know Its a Cherokee basket? Was it found in an area where Cherokees were known to live?
Thanks(1 vote)- With many native crafts, it is possible to distinguish a piece from the materials used or the style. Native trading was nothing like what the Europeans were able to do at that time, but it was still possible. Therefore where an object is found is only part of the equation. The classic Cherokee basket follows this pattern.(3 votes)
- In the first paragraph, you mention limited agriculture. Are you sure about this? My understanding is that much agriculture with selective growth through seeds made corn, squash, pumpkins, tobacco and other plants a most important food source for large communities of Native Americans. Perhaps it was the epidemics of European brought diseases that decreased North American agriculture?(2 votes)
- Driven off the land and put on reservations within the best land and water but we have been growing plants for thousands of year prior to contact and it required moving around to other sites to give the Earth a chance to replenish nutrients and stuff in the soil and waters for wild rice and other water plants that were eaten. The environment sustained us and we had to live with the changes and weather changes good or bad.(1 vote)