The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-10-16
INDIAN
MONEY
WAMPUM
First Inhabitants Had a
Double STANDARD Of
Currency

primitive currency, perhaps none was
more odd than that utilized by the
Indians at the time of the English
settlement in New England. This me
dium of exchange consisted of wan.
PUN. AS this wampum was made
from shells, mostly clam and oyster,
those Indians who lived near the
coast were naturally the more prolific
producers Of it. The wampum beads
we're Of two kinds, the white ones be.
ing called "wompl," and the black
ones "sacki. AS the black ones were
not so plentiful, they we're considered
twice as valuable. a writer in the
New England Magazine gives a good
description OF the manner in which
these beads were manufactured;
The beads themselves were simply
little oystershell cylinders about one
eighth Of an inch in diameter and
one-fourth Of an inch in length. They
were polished smooth by being rub
bed against stones and were bored
by means OF flint awl, many of
which are still to be found in the
shell heaps along the New England
coast In boring the beads the work
man used a cane or reed. tipped with
this stone awl, which he rolled con.
tinually on his thigh with his right
hand holding the bit Of shell in his
left After the coming Of the English,
iron avis were substituted, but even
then the process of manufacture must
have been extremely tedious. II is
said that by days hard labor it was
barely possible for man to produce
Is cents worth of wampum. Whether
the work was done by the men or the
womene cannot be known, but il may
well have been shared by both. II
required not only a vast amount of
patience-such as only the Indian
possesses-but also a considerable
degree of skill, for the shells must be
perfect in shape. free from cracks.
irregularities or flaw. The Indian
trader demanded that his wampuIs
be as sound and perfect as the pres
ent-day merchant expects Uncle Sans
new Tninted coins to be. IL was the
labor involved in their making that
gave the beads a purchasing power
so much in excess OF that OF the un-
wrought fresh water shells which ar.
chaeologists believe were used as
currency in the remoter inland re-
gions.
The string Of beads possessed no
intrinsic value to the English. but as
long as they could be exchanged for
furs, in the inland region. the English
man was willing to employ them as
medium, but the cOlonists never came
to regard wampum as anything more
than convenience for the continu.
ance of trade with the red men. The
use OF wampum as money was at its
height about 164O. when il was the
nearest approach to a universal cur.
rency that the colonists had. Il could
be exchanged for merchandise. used
in the payment of labor and court
judgments and given TO the state in
the discharge OF taxes Bequests
were made in terms Of IT, An old
English shilling found in a roadway
az Flushing, l. l., in 1647. was re.
garded locally as a great curiosity.
Many Of the younger generation had
never seen such a coin.
There were many circumstances
which eonspired to deprive wampum
and eventually strip II OF its character
as currency. First may be mentioned
the very familiar process known TO
students OF finance as imitation. The
quantity in circulation had increased
so much by reason of the trade in
beaver that when, about the middle
OF the century, the demand for the
latter In Europe diminished, there
was no other to take It's place I'm keep
ing the wampum ahoat Moreover,
the thrifty Dutch at Hackensack and
Albany introduced lathes In the man.
ufacture OF beads, so that much great
er quantities OF il could be produced.
The effect Of this we're. OF course, TO
bring great profts temporarily TO the
Dutchman. but ultimately 10 render
wampum too common 10 maintain its
value.