Thoughts on Wampum & Other Indigenous Customs

The little villages that dot the East End of Long Island are nearly 400 years old. It’s interesting to read about them and learn how things were back in those days.

When the English arrived here in 1639, they quickly discovered that their currency — pence, shillings and pounds — was useless. The local indigenous American tribes, whom they hoped to trade with, already had a currency among themselves. It consisted of tiny white beads carved out of the translucent interior material in clam shells and then, with holes drilled through them, strung on leather necklaces. There could be as few as one bead on a necklace, or as many as 300. They called it wampum.

The Dutch, who had come to settle on the western end of the island 15 years earlier, were already using wampum as their currency. Dutch guilders were unwanted. For the English, sometimes a single bead would be worth one pence, sometimes as much as five. It depended on availability. Thus, furs and other valuables changed hands.

Interestingly, neither the English or the Dutch had any interest in producing wampum. The Montauketts carved much of it in forts. And the Pequots had control of most of the forts in Connecticut. “The Indians are a people that never value their time,” one Dutch settler wrote. “So they can afford to make them, and never need to fear the English will take the trade out of their hands.”

It’s said an indigenous American needed close to an hour to carve out, sculpt, drill and polish a single bead.

However, the Dutch underestimated the English. With a flimsy pretext, the English attacked the Pequots and, after nearly wiping them all out in Connecticut, took control of their wampum forts on Long Island.

A Dutchman in 1650 urged his fellow Dutchmen to retain control of at least part of the island. “Otherwise the trade will suffer great damage, because the English will retain all the wampum manufactures themselves and we shall be obliged to eat oats out of English hands.”

Tributes had to be paid. Offerings made. Purchases consummated. The Dutch did nothing and New Netherland surrendered to the English in 1664. Thus dawned New York City.

Here is Lion Gardiner, the first English settler in East Hampton in 1636, writing to Gov. John Winthrop Jr. of Connecticut: “Heare is not 5 shillings of money and no beaver the dutch man will bring us corne and rye but we have noe thinge to pay him for it. Mr. Pinchin had a bill to receive all the wampuameige we had we have not so much as will pay for mendinge of our ould boate.”

Here’s another letter he wrote to Winthrop, in 1652: “And whereas you formarly spake to me to get you sum shels, I have sent you non by Goodman Garlick 1200, and allso 32 shilings in good wampum … The shells cost me 30 shillings, the wampem in the bag 32.”

Wampum was replaced as Long Island’s main exchange by English currency. Then, the dollar. Today, bitcoin is soaring. What the hell.

CUSTOMS

A fascinating essay about Indigenous American customs was written by Samson Occum, a member of the Mohegan tribe in Connecticut who became a Presbyterian clergyman preaching on the East End ,among other places, in the 1700s. His essay was published in 1761.

Specifically, it describes Native American marriage customs, religion, gods, burial customs and how their children were given names.

MARRIAGES

There were four different ways that marriages could occur.

Shortly after birth, a family could arrange with another family for their infant son to marry the other family’s infant daughter. Tributes were offered by the son’s parents. The other family could accept the tributes or decline them. There was no penalty for declining. Upon acceptance, a community party was arranged and the infants celebrated. When grown up, the couple could choose to live together or not. If not, they’d form relationships with other companions.

The parents could arrange a similar sort of marriage when their children grew up. The young people, when grown, could choose to marry one another themselves.

Or, “the couple that are to live together make no noise about it,” but the woman makes a certain kind of baked cake which, if he accepts, will seal the bond. However, while living together “small provocations can part them and they may marry others.”

GODS

The Indians believed there were gods in charge of many different things. There was a God for the East, another for the West, others for the North, South, the Sea, the Wind, the Night, the Corn, the Beans and one each for the four seasons of the year. They made offerings to these Gods while asking for help from them and believed oracles with religious icons could interpret the gods’ replies. But they also believed in one overarching all-powerful God they called “Cauhluntoowut.” And a bad, mischievous and sometimes evil chief God they called “Mutcheshesunnetooh.” 

NAMING CHILDREN

At powwows and other celebrations, different people would stand up and announce a name for one or another of the children. Sometimes, elders were asked to do that when other adults were too shy. At various times afterwards, the same individual could be given a different name.

AFTERLIFE

They believed their souls lived on in the west and, if they had behaved themselves, enjoy singing and dancing forever. Those that did not behave would also be there, but to do forced labor, sometimes repetitive with no discernible effect, also forever.

MOURNING

When someone died, they held wakes and mourned for about a year. “They used to wash their dead clean, and adorn them with all manner of ornaments and paint the faces of them with diverse colours, and make a great lamentation …” They’d bury the dead as we do. “These were common notions with all Long Island Indians,” he concluded.

Here in the Hamptons today, two tribes live on. One, the Shinnecock Nation, owns hundreds of waterfront acres on a reservation in Southampton and is federally recognized.

The other, the Montauketts, are currently lobbying for state recognition and hopefully after that federal recognition.

Most people in the Hamptons are proud of those with this tribal heritage. And the culture continues.