About Wampum
Jewelry
Wampum is made from quahog shell and is used by the East Coast
Indians in ceremonies as adornments and as mediums of exchange. The
deep purple section of the shell is known as "sacki", and has
double the value of the "wompi", the white section. Wampum became
known as the native's badge of wealth and position, and is most
noted for its role in the historic treaty belts of the Iroquois,
which tell of tribal history and agreements with the United States.
If one carried wampum, it was believed to be his passport to the
spirit world. Wampum's
Beauty
Its natural beauty and magic in how it's made is very
different and makes it very unique. Wampum is a clamshell, but the
specific shell is the quahog. The purple is only found on the East
Coast in certain waters and is more rare than the white
section. It takes a certain kind of natural chemical mixture in the
water to produce the purple section, based on minerals in the
water, temperature, and other conditions. You can go on the beach
and watch the seagulls hunt the shells—they bring them high in the
air and split open the shell. |
