Journey of Wampum

When the Dutch arrived in the 1600s, they noticed how much Native people valued wampum. Wampum played an important role in exchanges between Native people and the Dutch.

Wampum shells collected by the Native people

Wampum is a bead made from the rim (purple part) of quahog clam shells and the inner, spiraled part of whelk shells. The shells were collected by the Native people, including the Unkechaug and Shinnecock, who lived along the coasts of Long Island.

Creating wampum beads took skill and time. Native people ground and sanded the shells to form cylindrical beads. They then drilled a hole through the center of each bead with a bow drill. Europeans introduced metal drills called mux drills that sped up the wampum-making process.

Native weavers used wampum beads to make belts, collars, and various other adornments

Native weavers used wampum beads to make belts, collars, and various other adornments. Many of the items had symbolic designs. Strangers and friends exchanged wampum to build and maintain relationships. Native people still use wampum in ceremonies, to pay respect, and to record important events.

Discussion Questions

How do Native people use wampum?
How did mux drills change the wampum-making process?

Journey of a Dutch Kettle

For Native people, the Dutch served as a new source for metal. Native people desired goods such as Dutch kettles for their metal. In the early years of the fur trade, Native people used metal cut from Dutch kettles to make tools and ornaments. As time went on, Dutch kettles replaced Native-produced pottery. Explore how Native people used cut metal from Dutch trade kettles.

Native people exchanged wampum and beaver pelts for European goods such as metal kettles, which they cut to a specific size and shape, then remade into tools and ornaments they found useful.

Some cut pieces were rolled into tubular beads called tinkler cones, which were hung on clothing or bags to make a jingling sound. Other metal pieces were hammered flat and cut into arrow points that were strong and more effective than stone arrowheads.

Right: Probably Lenape (Delaware) shoulder bag, 1760-1800. Made from deer hide, porcupine quills, deer hair, dyes, and metal cones. NMAI 13/5886. Left: Tinkler cone. Seneca County, NY. NMAI 104181.000

Native people transformed Dutch metal goods into tools and objects

Native people transformed Dutch metal goods into tools and objects like the ones they already had, only better. Metal tools were stronger than stone tools, which improved Native life. As time went on, Native people became more dependent on Dutch metal.

Native arrowhead made of metal from European trade kettles, wood, and vegetable fiber. NMAI 141720.000

Discussion Questions

Why did Native people want Dutch kettles?
How did Dutch metal improve Native life?

Journey of Beaver Fur

Native people hunted animals for meat and for fur, which they used for clothing. The Dutch depended on Native people’s knowledge of their homelands to get what they needed and for furs. The Dutch used beaver furs to make beaver-felt hats—symbols of wealth in Dutch society.

Beavers are agile and can run amazingly fast. Native people have to catch them in traps or, when the beavers lie hidden in their burrows underground, lance them with long blades mounted on shafts.

Native women washed the furs to remove blood and dirt. Next, flesh and fat were scraped off with a flesher tool. Lastly, the beaver pelts were placed onto a stretching frame to dry.

Native Quote
“The Beaver provides everything perfectly well. It gives us kettles, hatchets, swords, knives, bread; in short, it provides everything.”

Native trader, 1634

Dutch Quote
“The beaver is the main reason . . . for the initial settlement of this fine country by Europeans. The fur is made into the best hats that are worn . . . throughout Europe.”

Adriaen Van Der Donck, Dutch lawyer and landowner, 1650s

Discussion Questions

What did the Dutch depend on Native people for?
How was Native people’s knowledge of their homelands important?

Journey of Trade Goods

Journey of Wampum

Discussion Questions

Journey of a Dutch Kettle

Discussion Questions

Journey of Beaver Fur

Discussion Questions