Request for Assistance: Wampum in the UK

PRM 1886.1.833, courtesy of Pitt Rivers Museum

Laura Peers, Pitt Rivers Museum writes:

As part of the Mayflower 400 commemoration supported by Arts Council England, I am seeking to locate all known examples of historic wampum from North America held in England. Wampum is an Indigenous material derived from whelk and quahog shells harvested along the eastern shores of North America and used to produce small white and purple beads strung or woven into collars, bands, and belts. Historically, wampum strands and strings were used for condolence or adornment. Wampum belts were woven with designs that recorded historic alliances and agreements among Indigenous and European nations during the colonial period.

My research collaborator, Dr. Margaret Bruchac from the University of Pennsylvania, directs the “Wampum Trail” project, a wide-ranging survey of wampum in more than 30 museums across North America, the UK and Europe. She also consults with Native American and First Nations communities (e.g., Deyoha:háge Indigenous Knowledge Centre, Mohegan Nation, Haudenosaunee Standing Committee, Kanesatake Mohawk Nation) on cultural heritage.

The research project, which is funded by Arts Council England as part of the Mayflower 400 commemoration, will provide additional information to the museums in England that currently care for wampum, as well as to the Indigenous nations who require access to heritage items. It will lead to a symposium in 2020 bringing together Indigenous knowledge-keepers and UK museum professionals to discuss wampum history, materiality, and artistry.

As project co-researcher, I am writing to you, seeking to locate all known examples of historic wampum housed in English museums and repositories, including any clues to wampum that may be housed in private collections. Please can you assist? 

Please contact me at: laura.peers@prm.ox.ac.uk