Wampum n. : Beads made of shells, used by the North American Indians as money, and also wrought into belts, etc., as an ornament.

Example:
History Question: How could not understanding Wampum hurt European diplomats?

Taxonomy
wampum, beads, belts, wampum belts, shell, the shells, wampum belt, New York, wampum beads, shell beads, tribes, Elizabeth James, strings, quahog, whelk, free encyclopedia, treaties, Wampum Prayer.

Defination from the web:
wampum are found only along Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay. The Lenape name for Long Island is "Sewanacky", reflecting its connection to the dark wampum. ...