Wampum Belt
/ˈwɒm.pəm bɛlt/noun
A belt or sash made from or decorated with wampum beads, traditionally used by some Indigenous peoples of northeastern North America for adornment, diplomacy, and record-keeping.
Did you know?Some wampum belts functioned as mnemonic records, helping designated keepers preserve agreements, speeches, genealogies, and historical events through symbolic bead patterns.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-contact period
Algonquian
wampumpeag
“White shell beads or strings of white beads; the source of English wampum”
17th Century
Narragansett / English
wampum
“Shell beads used by Indigenous peoples of the northeastern woodlands; English shortened form of wampumpeag”
17th Century
English
belt
“A strip or band worn around the body, from Old English belt”
17th–18th Century
English
wampum belt
“A belt made with wampum beads, used in ceremonial, diplomatic, and commemorative contexts”
Modern English
English
wampum belt
“A beaded Indigenous belt, especially one preserving symbolic or historical meaning”