Wampum refers to the strings or belts of shell beads used by Northeastern Woodlands Indians as a form of gift exchange, memory aid, ceremonial tool but, contrary to popular belief, not as money. The word itself comes from a Massachusett or Naragansett word "wampumpeag", meaning "a string of white shell beads." The white cylindrical beads were harvested from the whelk shell, while the purple beads were from the quahog clam. Both shellfish can be found in the waters around Long Island, but are scarce elsewhere, giving the tribes living near this area a valuable trade commodity. The cylindrical beads are not easy to make, requiring a hand-held pump drill with a quartz bit to make the hole and hours of smoothing with water and sand once they are strung. The rarity and beauty of strings and belts made of wampum gave the European colonists the misimpression that they were used for money.
Strings or belts of wampum served as badges of office for tribal leaders. Sachems and Pine Tree Chiefs of the Iroquois were presented with wampum belts signifying their office. At least one Mohawk Sachem was painted by Jan Verelst holding his belt in the famous set of portraits commemorating the visit of the "Four Mohawk Kings" to the court of Queen Anne. A modern portrait of Oneida Pine Tree Chief John Shenandoah shows him with his belt. Messengers also carried belts or strings of wampum which signified their authority to carry and transmit messages. Clan mothers had other belts which told the history of their families and indicated their right to choose the Sachems and be heard on matters affecting the nation. The Iroquois Constitution provides that speakers before the Great Council held a wampum belt when speaking, which indicated their right to have the floor. When they were finished, the belt was returned to a stand for safekeeping. As the Keepers of the Great Council Fire, the Onondaga had custody of belts detailing the history of the Haudenosaunee, including records of treaties and agreements. They also kept religious belts codifying the Longhouse tradition and the teachings of Handsome Lake. Colonists noted the value attached to these belts and the way they were exchanged during treaties and negotiations and got the idea to use them as money. The Dutch figured out a way to mass-produce beads, adding quahog shells dyed black and cockleshells dyed white as lesser currency. Mass-produced wampum became legal tender as money in New England and New York in the 17th century and soon flooded the market, driving down the value of real wampum and creating a financial panic. Colonial leaders had discontinued wampum as currency by the 18th century, deciding that coin of the realm, no matter how scarce, was a safer bet.
Genuine wampum belts are museum pieces today and some of them have been repatriated to their respective tribes. A stylized version of the Hiawatha belt serves as the Flag of the Six Nations of the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee, and wampum belts are depicted on the coat of arms of the Province of New Brunswick.
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