According to “
Haudenosaunee Guide for Educators” from the National Museum of the American Indian, “the word wampum means ‘white shell beads’ in the languages of the Narragansett of Rhode Island and Wampanoag of Massachusetts. Wampum are purple and white beads made from quahog (KWA-hog) clam and whelk shells. Native nations that lived along the Atlantic coast collected the shells from their shorelines and produced beads from them.”
One use for the wampum was to make belts, according to the guide. Despite what their name might make you think, Wampum belts weren’t worn as clothing, but instead had a different, important purpose. “The placement of the purple and white beads in the belt formed symbolic designs and codes. The designs in the belts recorded the laws of the (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy, oral tradition used for ceremonies, and important political interactions between Native nations, and later between the Confederacy and Europeans. Wampum belts were presented at Grand Council meetings or other official gatherings.”
It’s important to center Indigenous voices as you learn about Indigenous cultures during Thanksgiving, and we encourage you to use the links in the
lesson plan as part of your celebration!
