wampum

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The shells of the large, hard-shelled clam were used by the indigenous Narragansett people as wampum.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2023

It was also their economic nerve center, with the salmon trading for all manner of goods from feathers to copper to wampum, beads crafted from shells.

From Washington Times • Aug. 16, 2022

And some of your ingredients felt like home to me, such as the Quogue clam, then later it comes wampum, the first money.

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2021

Adamson offers the example of wampum, the lengths of patterned beadwork masterfully crafted by the Wampanoag in the Northeast, which were simultaneously a medium of communication and a form of currency.

From New York Times • Jan. 19, 2021

Around his neck hung a pouch of tobacco, a long knife, and a thick chain of the prized white shell beads called wampum.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann