Seven small beads excavated in Newfoundland, Canada are rare finds. They may be the only Wampam discovered in the state, suggesting trade between indigenous peoples and European settlers.
The beads were discovered in the colony of the Avalon site in Ferryland in July. This was an early European settlement in the 17th century and a trade post for the indigenous peoples.
You might like it
“All Wampum Beads were discovered in midden in the 17th century [garbage] Archaeologist Barry Galton, a professor at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, told Live Science that the layers deposited inside the storage room associated with the main residence or mansion of Ferryland.
Indigenous people often used Wampam as colonial settlers and currency, but these beads may be the first Wampam ever seen in Canada’s vast eastern province.
“No wampum beads found in Avalon colony [more than] Ongoing archaeological research over 30 years has stated, “To our knowledge, no wampum beads have been found in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Shell Money
“Wampum” is a British settler term derived from the Algonquin word “Wampumpeag,” meaning “a set of white shell beads.” Many indigenous people, particularly in eastern North America around the colonial period, originally used wampum beads for ritual purposes. For example, elaborate belts and necklaces made from Wampum beads were used to record important events such as treaties and declarations of war.
However, the Indigenous people also used Wampumbeads as currency to trade with colonial settlers, and Galton believes this is how these specific Wampumbeads arrived at the colony of the Avalon Site.
“It is likely that Wampham was brought to Ferryland through trade or exchange with Dutch or New England merchants who previously traded or exchanged Wampham with Indigenous people,” he said.
Wampam may be older than that, as most of the site was abandoned by the end of the 17th century.
You might like it
The style of the beads and how they are drilled indicates that they were made in about 1600 years. The Beads “arrived at Ferryland in the 1640s or 1650s,” Gaulton said. “Their discoveries in mid-17th century and mid-17th century in the country suggest that they were discarded or lost during this period.”
Wampumbeads are often attributed to Canadian “First Nation” Indigenous groups. But it is unknown who made these, Gaulton said.
Avalon’s Colony
The colony of Avalon, officially under the British crown, was one of the first parts of North America colonized by European settlers.
It was founded in 1621, but a few years later it was abandoned due to the harsh winters of the region and conflict with the Indigenous peoples. According to the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website, it was resettled in the 1630s and developed into a hub of fishing and trading.
The site now forms part of the town of Ferryland, about 30 miles (50 km) south of St. John’s.
Since the 1980s, tens of thousands of artifacts have been discovered during excavations of the site, including fragments of English, Dutch and German ceramics. Glassware; Colonial clay pipes; Iron tools such as knives and spoons. Muskets and muskets to protect them from attacks by Indigenous peoples and pirates. and fragments of the settlers’ jewels.
Archaeologists also excavated ruins on cobblestone streets. Part of a revet that protected the building from erosion and high waves. and the ruins of a large “mansion” built by George Calvert, perhaps the founder of the settlement and effectively the first governor of the state.
Source link
