Heather Cashman Long
I have lived near the water most of my life and feel a calling to it. I thought for this project I wanted to do something connected to sea and the Wampanoags who lived there before the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth.
The Quahog was vital to the Wampanoags. It gave them food but it also gave them tools. The Wampanoags used Quahog shells to scrape leather, squash gourds, hold water and manipulate animal horns and bones into tools. Wampum, which is the Native American term for the purple or white cylindrical beads made from the shell of the Quahog. The purple and white striations and patterns on the inside of the shell are created by minerals in the mud where the Quahogs are dug. The purple beads were only found in the New England area. Wampanoag Quahog beads were famous through Native American countries and were used as items of trade and for ceremonial gifts to other tribal leaders. The Wampanoags used these beads to decorate their clothing and headdresses.
