Wampum has become a synonym for money, and it is widely assumed that it served the same purposes as money among the Native Algonquians even after coming into contact with European colonists' money. But to equate wampum with money only matches one slippery term with another, as money itself was quite ill-defined in North America for decades during its colonization. In this stimulating and intriguing book, Marc Shell illuminates the context in which wampum was used by describing how money circulated in the colonial period and the early history of the United States. Wampum itself, generally tubular beads made from clam or conch shells, was hardly a primitive version of a coin or dollar bill, as it represented to both Native Americans and colonial Europeans a unique medium through which language, art, culture, and even conflict were negotiated. With irrepressible wit and erudition, Shell interweaves wampum's multiform functions and reveals wampum's undeniable influence on the cultural, political, and economic foundations of North America. Published in Association with the American Numismatic Society, New York, New York."

Hardcover, illustrations, map, index, 278 pages. A revision of the first chapter in U.S. history based on the discovery of the Morgan Papers. Featuring previously unpublished letters written by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Benedict Arnold, and the private journal of Indian agent Col. George Morgan. Orignal speeches from the head chiefs, tribal councillors, and women leaders from over 20 Indian tribes. Their promise to remain neutral at the first U.S.-Indian Peace Treaty in 1776 gave the American Revolutionaries time to win the war against the British.

This is a beautifully illustrated children's book about a clam that was picked up by a young Indigenous girl named Skawennahá wi. She took the clam(s) back to her village. The contents were used for food and the shells were used, among other things, to make wampum for wampum belts and strings. Wampum, The Story of Shaylyn the Clam explains, very simply, the origins of wampum, what it was made from and its use as well as the balanced connection to nature. This book is also a part of the First Nations Resource Collection. Features: 1. A teaching text about the relevance of wampum. 2. Illustrated by Métis artist, Jennifer Bettio. 2. Key vocabulary. 4. Activities. 5. Cross curricular and interdisciplinary connections. 6. Aligned with Ontario curriculum expectations.

"The White Wampum" is the first and the most famous collection of poems by E. Pauline Johnson, a Canadian writer and performer of Mohawk and English heritage. With vivid imagery, raw emotion, and a unique perspective, these poems are sure to captivate and inspire. Whether you're a lover of poetry or simply seeking a new perspective, this collection is a must-read.

Reproduction of the original: Wampum by Ashbel Woodward

Since the fourteenth century, Eastern Woodlands tribes have used delicate purple and white shells called “wampum” to form intricately woven belts. These wampum belts depict significant moments in the lives of the people who make up the tribes, portraying everything from weddings to treaties. Wampum belts can be used as a form of currency, but they are primarily used as a means to record significant oral narratives for future generations. In Reading the Wampum, Kelsey provides the first academic consideration of the ways in which these sacred belts are reinterpreted into current Haudenosaunee tradition. While Kelsey explores the aesthetic appeal of the belts, she also provides insightful analysis of how readings of wampum belts can change our understanding of specific treaty rights and land exchanges. Kelsey shows how contemporary Iroquois intellectuals and artists adapt and reconsider these traditional belts in new and innovative ways. Reading the Wampum conveys the vitality and continuance of wampum traditions in Iroquois art, literature, and community, suggesting that wampum narratives pervade and reappear in new guises with each new generation.