Wampum

Two basic types of wampum were identified at the Fredricks site: (1) a cylindrical form, which has frequently been described in the literature (bottom rows, illustrated specimens); and (2) a morphological variant on the former type which will be called oval wampum (top row illustrated specimens). The oval wampum were made by grinding the sharp corners from the ends of the cylinders. Both purple and white varieties of both types have been identified, although only five purple oval wampum have been recovered so far from this site. Overall, the wampum range in length from 4.8-7.0 mm and in diameter from 3.2-4.6 mm, with the white wampum making up a higher proportion of the smaller sizes. All of the white oval wampum were made from smaller white wampum, and they occurred exclusively with this small white cylindrical form. All the purple wampum, including the oval form, were larger than the white oval wampum.

The majority of the wampum (68%) was found with Burial 1, occurring around the neck, chest, and the lower arms areas where they were arranged in closely spaced parallel rows. The wampum with Burial 2 were found around the neck and chest in a similar pattern. The wampum with Burial 1 appeared to have been strung around the neck. The rest of the wampum were found with Burial 5. These latter specimens, probably decoration on a small bag or pouch, were lying over a cluster of two ceramic pipes, a knife, and a bird claw. The contextual relationship of the wampum at this site suggest they were used as ornaments sewn onto garments and other personal gear, and were strung as necklaces worn around the neck.