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The original meaning of the word “wampum” is “white strings [of beads],” but a wampum belt, despite its name, can contain any mixture of purple and white beads arranged in rows. The beads, cylindrical and about 1/4th inch in length, are carved from shells. The shell of the quahog (hard clam) provides purple beads; the white come from the shell of the whelk.
