The Origin and Use of Wampum

François Neptune

Wôlinak, PQ

1914

Source: Speck, Frank G. 1928. Wawenock myth texts from Maine. Forth-Third Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 19251926, 165–197. Washington: Government Printing Office.

Note: Speck’s transcription and his free translation are given in (a). A tentative retranscription and retranslation by Philip LeSourd are given in (b).

1.   a.   ˂Tanławe´i· aida´ dane´dudji· bodawa´zi·mα`k‘w ni·nawa´ utai·nα̨´ məde´olinowa`k˃ 

            “Accordingly, then, whenever they held a council there were shamans there.”

      b.   Tąhlawei aita tąn etoči-potawasimək, ni=nawa wətainą mətewəlinowak.

            ‘So whenever a council meeting was held, shamans there as well.’

2.   a.   ˂ni·dαni·´ εkwαmpsa·´nəhi·di·t yu´gi·k məde´olinowa·`k ni·uda´li wewełα´n aweni·´ mliksani·da´˃

             “And according to their strength among these shamans it was known who was the most powerful.”

      b.   Ni tąni ekwąpsanihətit yukik mətewəlinowak, ni wətəli-wewehląn aweni məliksanita.

            ‘And by the extent to which these shamans were powerful, someone (among them) then revealed if he was the most powerful.’

3.   a.   ˂ni·gizi·´ bodawazi·mα´k‘ ni·ubə´s·kwəletαmαnα` ni·udαm‘hadi´n˃

            “After they held their council they lighted their pipes and smoked.”

      b.   Ni kisi-potawasimək, ni wəpəskwəlehtaməną, ni wətamhatin.

            ‘And when they had held their council, they lighted their pipes, and people smoked.’

4.   a.   ˂ni·wa´ ktci· məde´olinu` gesta´ p‘kwudetαmα´nt ni·wᴐ̹·bα̨´bi· so´gahazo` wudji·´  wudonα´k˃

            “In the case of an exceedingly great shaman every time he drew upon his pipe, wampum fell from his mouth.”

      b.   Ni=wa kci-mətewəlino kehsəta-pəkətehtamąt, ni wąpąpi sokəhaso wəči wətonək.

            ‘And every time a great shaman inhales smoke, wampum would fall from his mouth.’[1]

5.   a.   ˂w·ᴐ̹bi·gα´k ni·wa´ məde´olinu` tebα̨´bwi·wi·` edutsani·`t˃

            “If the wampum was white, then it denoted that the shaman was of medium power.”

      b.   Wąpigək, ni=wa mətewəlino tepąpəwiwi etotsanit.

            ‘If it was white, then that shaman was of considerable power.’

6.   a.   ˂ni·wα̨·bα̨bi´m ebas·i·wi·´ wᴐ̹·bi·´gən si·bi·wi·´ ebas·i·wi·´ elwe´mkwi·gə`n ni·wa´ nodas·ani´t məde´olinu´˃

            “If the wampum was half white and half reddish it denoted the least powerful shaman.”

      b.   Ni wąpąpim epahsiwi wąpikən sipiwi epahsiwi eləwe mkwikən, ni=wa notahsanit mətewəlino.

            ‘And as for one whose wampum was half white and half almost red, he is the least powerful shaman.’

7.   a.   ˂neləwε·´ mkazewi·gə´n wᴐ̹·bα̨bi´n ni·nawa´ yugi·´k məde´olinowa`k tanyu´gədji· sekᴐ·´sidji·`k ni·gi·gədji´ peme´ltodetci·` wᴐ̹bα̨bi·´ ki·zi·wədα´mhadi·hi·di·da` məde´olinuwa`k˃

            “But if, in the case of a shaman, his wampum was almost black, then he would win over these shamans, the others who had the most wampum, after the shamans had smoked their pipes.”

      b.   Ni eləwe mkasewikən wąpąpim, ni=nawa yukik mətewəlinowak tąniyok=əči sekosičik nikik=əči pemeltoteči wąpąpi kisi-wətamhatihətita mətewəlinowak.

            ‘But as for one whose wampum was almost black, as for these shamans, their kind would be victorious over those who would have the most wampum when the shamans would all have finished smoking.’

8.   a.   ˂ni·tα̨´ławe`i· kadawi·´ wələs·tα̨wα̨`di·hi·di·de` yugi·´k ni·zᴐ·k·ami·´gəsowa`k ni·wətambe´nkek·tona` wᴐ̹·bα̨bi·´ ni·l·α´mpskahα̨zu` kədəgwabi·zu´n ni·dalα´mpskəhα̨zu` ni·zno´l wəldji·a´l‘ eli·danławei´ gi·zi·´wələ`s·tawα̨`dəhi·di`t nda´tαma mαdα̨be´k‘w nda´tci· gadona´ldi·wi·a`k ni·askami·wi·`

            “And so whenever these two nations wanted to make a treaty they gave wampum to each other as a payment, the beads woven into a belt designed with two hands, meaning that they had agreed to the treaty and would fight no more and forever would not hunt one another down again.”

      b.   Ni tąhlawei katawi-wələsətąwatihətite yokik nisohkamikəsowak, ni wətąpenkektoną wąpąpi, ni ląpskahąso kwətəkwapison ni taląpskahąso nisənol wələčial eli- tąhlawei -kisi- wələsətąwatihətit ąta=či katonalətiwiak ni askawiwi.

            ‘And so if these two peoples wanted to make a treaty, then they would put up wampum for it, and this was a belt decorated with two hands on it showing how they had made an agreement not to attack each other ever again.’

9.   a.   ˂ni·a´tci· nimsi·wi·´.˃

            “And that is all.”

      b.   Ni=ahči ni msiwi.

            ‘And so that is all.’


[1] Speck comments: “The narrator added that some old woman would catch the beads in a receptacle as they fell from the magician’s mouth.”

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