You must know that the Indians hereabout have no tools of iron or of
steel, as do you in Scrooby; but perform all their work by means of
fire and sharp pieces of flint stone. In order to have something that
can be called money, although they of course do not use that word in
speaking of it, they get from the dark spots which are found in clam
shells, beads about one-eighth of an inch in thickness and an inch
long.
[Illustration]
These they call wampum, and string them on threads cut from the skin
of a deer. Because of a great deal of labor's being necessary in the
making of them, these bits of wampum, or beads, are valued as highly by
the Indians as we value gold or silver, and the savage who would hoard
up his wealth that it may be seen of others, makes of these strings of
wampum a belt many inches broad.
[Illustration]
It is convenient to wear these belts, for when the owner wishes to
buy something from another Indian or even from us white people, he has
merely to take off one or two strings from the belt, thereby decreasing
the width ever so slightly.
When Massasoit came to Plymouth, he wore three of these wampum belts,
and among those who followed him, I saw five or six who had an equal
number.