Talking beads: the history of wampum as a value and knowledge bearer from its very first beginnings until today

Hidden messages (of the past?) - Exploring tracks of indigenous people: Latest scientific findings help revise our present-day knowledge concerning Indians of North America. New evidence suggests that some graphic type of communication was used for more than 300 years. Now, for the first time, those signs can be deciphered. Indigenous messages of the past are found on bands, woven of valuable beads called wampum. "Talking Beads: The History of Wampum as a Value and Knowledge Bearer, From its Very First Beginnings Until Today", presents a convincing treatise (including many illustrations) of the more than 400 preserved wampum belts, bands and bags. The book is based on the ethnography of the classic Americanist Franz Boas and considers numerous archeological, ethnological, ethnographic, linguistic and material sources from the 17th to the 21st century. Answers to questions like: Why had wampum been particularly valuable since its beginning? Had it been a substitute for money? How did its system of communication develop? How far had it been dispersed? Who had access to it? And how did it influence the majority of the population? can now be found.