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Wampum
Wampum,
polished shell beads, traditionally used as a medium
of exchange by Native American tribes and also worn
as decoration and insignia of rank and dignity.
The
beads were strung on hempen strings or woven into belts.
In trade, unstrung beads were exchanged and belts and
strings were traded by the fathom, or number of beads
that could be sold for a price of five British shillings.
Wampum
belts were also used to document intertribal transactions
and important public events. A communication from one
tribe or council to another became official with the
delivery of a belt woven into a symbolic representation
of the message or treaty
"Wampum,"
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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