In Plate XXXV I have arranged a number of cylindrical beads, together
with a few others of unclassified form.
Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the most common form of the ancient wampum, the
white example being made from the columella of a small univalve, and the
dark one from the purple portion of a _Venus mercenaria_. The specimens
represented belong to the celebrated "Penn belt," preserved in the rooms
of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
It is not known positively that beads of this particular shape were
employed in pre-Columbian times; but it is certainly one of the earliest
historical forms, and one which has been manufactured extensively by the
Indians as well as by the whites. They may be found both in very old and
in very recent graves, in widely separated parts of the United States
and British America, and have always formed an important part of the
stock of the Indian trader.
Figs. 3 and 4 represent a very large class of Pacific coast forms. These
are from the island of San Miguel. They are simple white cylinders, with
somewhat irregular bi-conical perforations. Many examples may be found
which taper slightly toward the ends. They are coated with a
rusty-looking deposit, which breaks away easily, exposing the chalky
substance of the shell. They range from one-half to three inches in
length, and from one-eighth to three-eighths in diameter. They are
probably made from the thick valves of the _Pachydesma crassatelloides_
or the _Amiantis callosa_. They were probably used as beads for the neck
and as pendant ornaments for the ears. The longer specimens may have
been worn in the nose. It is also said that beads of this class were
used as money.
Fig. 5 illustrates a very long, tubular bead found at Piscataway, Md. It
has been made from the columella of some large univalve. It is four and
a half inches long and one-fourth of an inch in diameter. The surface is
smooth, but a little uneven, and the ends taper slightly. The
perforation which has apparently been made from both ends, as there is
an offset near the middle, is quite regular, though slightly enlarged
near the ends.
A large number of beads of the class illustrated in Fig. 6, Plate XXXV,
were obtained from the ancient graves of San Miguel Island, Cal. They
have been made from one of the large bivalve shells of the Pacific
coast, probably the _Pachydesma crassatelloides_. The curvature of the
bead is the result of the natural curve of the valve from which it is
fashioned. The larger specimens are nearly five inches in length. In the
middle portion they are three-eighths of an inch in diameter. They taper
gradually towards the ends to the size of the perforation, which
averages about one-sixteenth of an inch. The curvature of the bead is so
great that there has been much difficulty in making the perforations
from opposite ends meet, and none of the larger specimens will permit
the passage of a wire, although the perforations lap considerably and
water passes through quite freely. It will be observed that the surface
of these objects is coated with a dark, rough film, which, when broken
away, exposes the natural shell. Such beads may have been used as nose
ornaments, but more probably formed parts of some composite ornament for
the neck or ear.
Fig. 7 represents a bone nose ornament obtained from the Pai-Ute Indians
by Professor Powell. Its shape is not unlike that of the curved bead
just described.
The large rude bead given in Fig. 8 is made from the thick lip or rim of
the _Haliotis Californianus_. This, with a number of similar specimens,
was obtained from an ancient grave at Dos Pueblos, Cal. The perforations
are all large and symmetrical. In one case the hole has been reduced at
the ends by inserting small bits of shell, through which minute passages
have been made.
In Figs. 9 and 10 I give two illustrations of a bead of rather
remarkable form. A large number of similar specimens have been brought
from Dos Pueblos, La Patera, and the islands of San Miguel and Santa
Cruz. They are made from the hinge of the _Hennites giganteus_, a large
bivalve, having a delicate purplish tinge. The shape results from the
form of the hinge; the curve is the natural curve of the shell; and the
notch near the middle of the convex side is the natural pit, often
somewhat altered by art to add to the appearance or to assist in
completing the perforation. The holes are generally very small, and have
been made with much difficulty, owing to the curvature of the bead.
Where by accident the perforation has become enlarged at the end, it has
been bushed by setting in a small piece of shell. The specimen figured
is perforated near the end for suspension, no longitudinal perforation
having been attempted.
Fig. 11 shows one of these beads in an unfinished state, the portion of
the hinge used being roughly broken out and slightly rounded. We have in
the national collection specimens of this class in all stages of
manufacture. Professor Haldeman has described and illustrated a number
of similar beads. He describes the rounded notch near the middle as
artificial, and considers it a device to help out the perforation or
facilitate the stringing. Professor Putnam, in the same work,[61] states
that the "notches were subsequently filled with asphaltum even with the
surface of the shell."
The curved bead illustrated in Fig. 12 is made from a _Dentalium
indianorum_ (?) by removing the conical point. These shells, either
entire or in sections, are much used by the Indians of the northwest,
both as ornaments and as a medium of exchange.
[Illustration: PL. XXXV--BEADS.
1, 2. Beads from the Penn Belt.
3, 4. Pacific coast forms.
5. Bead from Maryland.
6. A Pacific coast form.
7. A Pai-Ute nose ornament (bone).
8. Bead made from a _Haliotis_.
9, 10, 11. Beads made from hinge of _Hennites_.
12. Bead made from a _Dentalium_.
13. Bead from mound, Tenn.
(1/1)]