Wampum: Indigenous Diplomatic Tool Reclaimed and Revived

Wampum, cylindrical beads crafted from white and purple shells by indigenous North American peoples, served as a sophisticated communication system far beyond mere decoration or currency. Created primarily by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and Algonquian peoples, these meticulously manufactured beads required hundreds of hours of specialized labor to create belts containing thousands of beads. The white beads (from whelk shells) represented peace and harmony, while purple beads (from quahog shells) signified more solemn matters like war or significant agreements. Wampum belts functioned as legally binding documents, mnemonic devices, and sacred objects, with specific patterns encoding complex diplomatic agreements and historical events. When European colonizers encountered wampum, they misunderstood its cultural significance, reducing it to currency and disrupting indigenous diplomatic systems by mass-producing beads and seizing sacred belts. In recent decades, indigenous nations have worked to reclaim historic wampum belts from museums and revitalize traditional practices, reconnecting with ancestral knowledge systems and asserting the sophistication of pre-colonial indigenous governance.

https://www.ihadnoclue.com/article/1125311113570385921