wampum
Beaded Native money
Wampum refers to beads made from polished shells, traditionally crafted by Indigenous peoples of eastern North America.
These beads, strung together in belts or strings, served as currency in trade with European colonists and held deep ceremonial and diplomatic significance among Native nations.
In casual use, wampum has become slang for money generally: I'm a little short on wampum this month.
Hard-shelled edible clam
- shellHard outer covering
- purpleHue between crimson and azure
- whiteAbsence of pigment
- stringingPassing through sequentially
clam · discs · drilling · polishing · strands · weaving · woven · patterns
Strap securing trousers
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- HiawathaNative American statesman-figure
- recordPreserved account or achievement
- messageTransmitted communication
agreement · diplomacy · pictograph · design · keeper · reading · presentation · protocol
Exchange of commodities
- barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- fathomNautical depth unit
- stringsThin flexible lines
colonial · Dutch · value · payment · transaction · commodity · tender · wealth
Native American confederacy
- AlgonquinEastern North American indigenous nation
- LenapeAlgonquian-speaking Eastern people
- NarragansettEastern Algonquian tribe
- PequotAlgonquian people of Connecticut
Mohawk · Seneca · Onondaga · Oneida · Cayuga · Wampanoag · northeastern · tribal
Ceremonial set of actions
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- offeringSomething presented or given
- ceremonyFormal event marking occasions
- traditionCustom passed through generations
spiritual · ancestral · blessing · condolence · peacemaking · covenant · mourning · gift
Human-made historical object
- museumPublic exhibit space
- repatriationFormal return to homeland
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- collectionGathered set of items
provenance · exhibition · cultural · historical · ancestral · legacy · tradition · significance
quahog
Hard-shelled edible clam
stringing · clam · discs · drilling · polishing · strands · weaving · woven · patterns · cylindrical
belt
Strap securing trousers
- treatyBinding pact between nations
- HiawathaNative American statesman-figure
- recordPreserved account or achievement
message · agreement · diplomacy · pictograph · design · keeper · reading · presentation · protocol · exchange
trade
Exchange of commodities
strings · colonial · Dutch · value · payment · transaction · commodity · tender · wealth · standard
Iroquois
Native American confederacy
- AlgonquinEastern North American indigenous nation
- LenapeAlgonquian-speaking Eastern people
- NarragansettEastern Algonquian tribe
Pequot · Mohawk · Seneca · Onondaga · Oneida · Cayuga · Wampanoag · northeastern · tribal · nations
ritual
Ceremonial set of actions
tradition · spiritual · ancestral · blessing · condolence · peacemaking · covenant · mourning · gift · presentation
artifact
Human-made historical object
- museumPublic exhibit space
- repatriationFormal return to homeland
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
collection · provenance · exhibition · cultural · historical · ancestral · legacy · tradition · significance · memory
- moneydollar, euro, coin, cash, pound
- Indigenous CanadaFirst Nations, Metis, Inuit, Cree, Ojibwe
- Indigenous cultureancestors, ancestry, ancestral lands, ancestral lineage, animal totems
- ancient adornmentjade jewelry, gold ornaments, necklaces, bracelets, earrings
- ancient trade goodsgold, silver, copper, silk, spices
- beads & beadingnecklace, bracelet, pearl, rosary, anklet
wampumdigital currency
Currency stored electronically
cryptocurrency · paper money · coins · fiat currency · banknotes
- wampum beltsBeaded sashes recording agreements