Wampum at the Onondaga Longhouse Six Nations Reserve in New York. These belts dated to the late 18th century and are sacred to the Longhouse religion. They had been away from their tribes for over a century. The Seneca Nation commissioned replicas of five historic wampum belts completed in 2008. Artists continue to weave belts of a historical nature, as well as designing new belts based on their own concepts. Wampum Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of American Indians. It includes the white shell beads fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and the
Puka shell because they were naturally pierced, which enabled them to be strung like beads. Puka shell jewellery first became a popular item in Hawaii during the 1960s, as an attractive and inexpensive lei which could be made and sold on the beach where it was made. In the 1970s, this type of shell jewelry became highly sought after, and prices skyrocketed. The craftsmanship also became more refined and the "lei pūpū puka", puka shell leis were strung in graduated or matching styles, rather than the original random patterns. Many "legends" about the puka shell were created during this time, and these