Sewant
/ˈsuːənt/noun
A traditional Indigenous North American shell bead, especially one used as wampum or currency.
Did you know?Sewant beads were associated with wampum belts, which could preserve agreements, treaties, and political memory rather than serving merely as decoration.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Algonquian
sewan
“A term associated with shell beads or wampum; the deeper Proto-Algonquian reconstruction is uncertain.”
17th Century
Narragansett
sewant
“Shell beads used among Indigenous peoples of coastal New England.”
17th Century
Colonial English
sewan
“Wampum or beads made from shell, recorded in descriptions of Indigenous trade.”
17th–18th Century
English
sewant
“A form used for shell money or wampum.”
Modern English
English
sewant
“An archaic or historical term for shell beads used as wampum.”
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