ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The wampum, a shell bead from the Atlantic coast of North America, is deeply embedded in Native American societies from the north east of this region. Originally used as an ornament or symbol of prestige, shell beads came to have a range of other functions in the 17th and 18th centuries, within the context of relations between the Indigenous nations and European colonies who settled in this vast territory, spanning from the south of current Quebec to the present-day State of South Carolina. Through the ways in which it was used, wampum represents a meaningful chapter of Native American, North-American and European history It also provides a valuable point of entry to understanding the societies that evolved at the time of New France (1600-1763), through exchanges, alliances and confrontations between Native Americans, French and English.

The exhibition sheds a light on all aspects of wampum: a coveted raw material made into beads and other objects like diplomatic belts, bearer of oral histories, a trade resource, sign of power and prestige, and votive object. Even today, wampum plays a fundamental role among Native American nations, notably the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), the Huron-Wendat and the Abenaki.