The Natives had many different uses for wampum, as it was found in every aspect of their life, from their economy to their spiritual beliefs. It is for this reason that wampum was very important to them.
Wampum is the Nargansett word which means white shell beads' (Prindle, 1994-2003). It is a collection of small beads made from shells that were found in great numbers along the coasts of Rhode Island, southern Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the northern shore of Long Island. The true shells were a rare find anywhere north of Cape Cod. The shells could be found a little below the surface of the water or on the mud (Scozzari, 2003).
There are two types of wampum beads. The white ones, called wompam' come from the Whelk shell or meteaûhock'. Suckáuhock' are the purple (and sometimes black) beads that come from the Quahog shell's growth rings. The Quahog shell is referred to as suckauanaûsuck' in the Iroquois language. These beads were not made of porcelain, periwinkle shell or bone as some historic documents have stated. Periwinkle could not yet be found in that area, as it was only introduced in the late 1800's (Prindle, 1994-2003).
Some wampum beads which were approximately 4 500 years old were found in the Northeastern United States. These earlier beads (from before European contact) were disk or barrel shaped, often created from the spiralling inner columella of the Whelk's shell (upright column in the hinge' part of the shell). In the Middle and Late Woodland periods, which started around 200 AD, wampum was approximately five millimetres in diameter and had a length of eight millimetres. These beads had larger holes of more than two millimetres and were relatively uncommon as they were made using a stone drill called puckwhegonnatick'. In the mid 1600's, the beads had smaller holes averaging one millimetre due to the use of European metal drills.
