How to Make American Indian Shell Beads

Shells.

Many Native American Indian tribes produced handmade shell beads for centuries. The shell beads are also called wampum beads. They were traditionally made from two types of shells. The Whelk shell produced a white bead while the Quahog shell produced a purplish-black bead. The wampum beads were used for money and traded with non-Indians. The traditional wampum bead making process consisted of drilling, bracing and sanding the shells with rocks and sticks.

Things You'll Need

• Shells
• Hammer
• Bowl
• Hand drill
• 1/16" drill bit
• Needle nose pliers
• Sandpaper
• Scrap wood

Instructions

1. 

   Hammer.

   Place a shell on a hard surface. Break it with a hammer. Select pieces of the broken shell that are approximately one inch long and 1/2 inch wide. Place the selected pieces in a bowl and throw the rest away.

2. 

   Hand drill.

   Place a selected shell on a 4-inch by 4-inch piece of scrap lumber. Hold the shell in place with the needle nose pliers. Drill a small hole in the shell using a hand drill. Drill slowly and carefully so the shell does not break.

3. 

   Sandpaper

   Sand the edges of the drilled shell to the desired shape. The bead is ready for stringing.

References

• History, Culture, Value of Beads
• Wampum Beads: 5th Grade History/Social Science and Visual Arts
• The Haudenosaunee and Wampum

Resources

• Material Rhetoric: Wampum Records