wampum belt
Native American currency
A wampum belt is a band of woven beads made from polished shells, historically created by Indigenous peoples of eastern North America.
The belts served as records of agreements, treaties, and significant events—their patterns encoding meaning rather than mere decoration.
European colonizers sometimes misunderstood wampum as currency, though its primary function was diplomatic and ceremonial: The treaty was sealed with an exchange of wampum belts.
Public exhibit space
- beadsSmall pierced ornaments for stringing
- quahogHard-shelled edible clam
- shellworkOrnament made from mollusks
- craftsmanshipSkill in making objects
relic · preservation · exhibit · restoration · provenance · curation · heirloom · collection
Binding pact between nations
- covenantBinding formal pledge
- allianceFormal union of parties
- pactFormal agreement between parties
- agreementShared position between parties
diplomacy · negotiation · peace · message · sovereignty · reconciliation · confederation · promise
Recounting events aloud
- historyRecord of past events
- recordPreserved account or achievement
- memoryMind's retention capacity
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
pictograph · pattern · design · meaning · oral tradition · encoding · mnemonic · reading
Native American confederacy
- AlgonquinEastern North American indigenous nation
- LenapeAlgonquian-speaking Eastern people
- HiawathaNative American statesman-figure
- clansRelated family groups
tribes · Native American · Six Nations · Onondaga · keeper · longhouse · Mohawk · Oneida
Medium of exchange
- barterDirect goods-for-goods exchange
- exchangeMutual giving and receiving
- valueImportance or price
- commodityFungible traded good
colonial · Dutch · transaction · fur trade · shell money · payment · wealth · medium
Ceremonial set of actions
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- powwowCeremonial tribal gathering
- consecrationDedicating to sacred purpose
- commemorationAct of honoring memory
protocol · purification · clan · elder · tradition · beadwork · chieftain · ancestral
museum
Public exhibit space
- beadsSmall pierced ornaments for stringing
- quahogHard-shelled edible clam
- shellworkOrnament made from mollusks
craftsmanship · relic · preservation · exhibit · restoration · provenance · curation · heirloom · collection · display
treaty
Binding pact between nations
agreement · diplomacy · negotiation · peace · message · sovereignty · reconciliation · confederation · promise · oath
storytelling
Recounting events aloud
symbolism · pictograph · pattern · design · meaning · oral tradition · encoding · mnemonic · reading · interpretation
Iroquois
Native American confederacy
- AlgonquinEastern North American indigenous nation
- LenapeAlgonquian-speaking Eastern people
- HiawathaNative American statesman-figure
clans · tribes · Native American · Six Nations · Onondaga · keeper · longhouse · Mohawk · Oneida · Seneca
currency
Medium of exchange
commodity · colonial · Dutch · transaction · fur trade · shell money · payment · wealth · medium · tribute
ritual
Ceremonial set of actions
- sacredWorthy of reverence
- powwowCeremonial tribal gathering
- consecrationDedicating to sacred purpose
commemoration · protocol · purification · clan · elder · tradition · beadwork · chieftain · ancestral · ceremony
wampum beltcostume jewelry
Non-precious decorative adornments
trinket · bauble · knickknack · tchotchke · souvenir
wampum beltcurrency
Medium of exchange
trade goods · cash payment · coin · banknote · stock certificate