The word “Wampum” actually comes from the Narragansett (from Rhode Island) word wampumeag and literally means ‘white shell beads.’ Though often thought to be the name of the quahog clam shell, it refers specifically to small cylindrical beads made out of shell. Wampum beads are made in two colors: white, wampum, from a variety of whelk as well as the inside white of the clam shell, and purple, sukauhock, from the purple growth rings on the inside of the quahog clam. Because of the scarcity, the dark purple beads were considered “worth” twice as much as the beads in white. While the use of wampum is most often associated with the Haudenosaunee (commonly called Iroquois) in the North and the story-telling belts that they made, the use of wampum stretched all the way down to the southern Creek tribes in Alabama.
But what about the Outer Banks in particular? If you have ever walked along the beaches of Hatteras Island, you will see little ocean-polished shells in that signature quahog purple. On a good day, you may be fortunate enough to also find a few whelks. Even today, we still have clam shells freely washing up on the shore to make wampum beads!
The Algonquin tribes (which included the tribes on the Outer Banks) did use wampum. While the common use for wampum is still often thought of as a currency, it was based in a cultural misunderstanding between indigenous trade and English marketplaces. The wampum beads were indeed a highly sought after trade commodity but they did not equate to a currency until colonists placed that attribute onto it.
You can often find “wampum” feathers available in our gift shop done by our very own in house artist. Feel welcome to talk with our staff about how quahog is still being traded between indigenous artisans as well as the the pieces available in our gift shop.
Have you made anything from quahog shells? Share it with us! Bring it by on your next visit or send us a picture, we’d love to see!
