Description

Item 1191 This glass bead wampum choker is a recreation of chokers worn by early east coast native people. The beading measures 13″ with 11″ straps for securing on the ends.

Wampum beads originally from the Quahog round clam shell of the eastern Canada, New England coast; used for communications and treaties amongst North American native tribes, and later in 1600s and 1700s, with Europeans. When supply of Quahog dwindled, Europeans imported glass wampum from Czechoslovakia, which Natives used in same manner as Quahog shell wampum.

The glass beads used to create this choker is imported from Czechoslovakia. The leather is tanned using a traditional Native American smoking method, which makes it soft and pliable. It is hand crafted, including the tanning process,  by Don Standing Bear, a member of the Metis community of Canada.

Belts or strings of wampum beads were not only used as ornamentation, but often told a story and as a pledge of truth of the words being spoken when such belts were held or worn.

Today, there are few native craftspeople recreating Wampum work. Each Wampum Don Standing Bear produces has a meaning and he encourages the new owner to honor and respect these meanings as you bring some of the traditional lifeways of the eastern native peoples into your life.