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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ardatirion, post: 1395354, member: 9204&quot;]Search google books for <i>Wampum and Shell Articles Used by the New York Indians</i>. A 19th century work, but it should answer enough of your questions. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here are my specimens:</p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.forumancientcoins.com/gallery/albums/userpics/18271/normal_IMG_1361.JPG" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p> <p style="text-align: center">White wampum beads</p> <p style="text-align: center">apx. 5mm; 0.10g each</p> <p style="text-align: center">Seneca tribe, circa AD 1625-1687</p> <p style="text-align: center">Ganounata village (Honeoye Falls, NY)</p> <p style="text-align: center">Cf. William Martin Beauchamp, <i>Wampum and Shell Articles Used by the New York Indians</i>, p. 369</p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center">From the Dann Farm site in Honeoye Falls, NY.</p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center">In 1687 combined French and Huron forces, lead by the Marquis de&nbsp; Denonville, set out to undermine the strength of the Iriquois&nbsp; Confederacy. The main strike was made against Seneca villages in Western&nbsp; New York. Ganounata was burned during the campaign. This episode was&nbsp; only one in a long line of conflicts fought over control of the North&nbsp; American fur trade.</p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center">Wampum was used by Native Americans in woven belts of white and black beads. The white beads were crafted from the <i>columella</i>&nbsp; of the Channeled Whelk, the black from the quahog. Traditionally,&nbsp; wampum belts were used as a ceremonial object to initiate a trade&nbsp; contract. It was only with the coming of the Europeans that wampum began&nbsp; to function as coinage. In 1673, New York state officially set the&nbsp; value of wampum at six white beads to the Dutch stuiver, or three black&nbsp; until they fell out of use.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </p> <p style="text-align: center"><br /></p><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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