Steven Gregory, age 9, of phoenix, ariz., for his question:     

What is warnu?

Imagine haw pleasant it would be to make your own pocket money. The more money you made., the richer you would be. But this, of course, is against the laws of our country. The Algonquins of Massachusetts, however, had no such laws. Any young Algonquin Indian could make his own money   as much as he had a mind to. And his money was called wanpan or wampum.

Life was not easy for the pilgrims of Massachusetts. It was hard to get a living from the stony ground. The settlers often needed to trade with the native Indians. But these original Americans had no use for the pennies and shillings which the settlers used for money. Instead of metal coins, they used wampum made from shells. The Algonquin Indians called their shell money waxrpanpiag, but this word was too hard for the settlers to say. Everyone agreed to call it wampum. The shell money was shaped into tiny beads., each about a quarter inch long. A string of white wampum beads six feet long was worth one or two dollars. But not all wampum was white.

 The dainty beads were made from the shells of periwinkle, whelk and quahog. The Quahog is a hard shell clam, and quahog wampum was often purple. The rare black and purple beads were worth twice as much as the white and light colored wampum. The shells were broken into fragments, and the beads were made by rubbing the small pieces into the right shape. Only the pearly inside of the shells was used to make the pretty beads.  Wampum was more than cash money to the native Americans. The strings of colored beads were often sewn onto leather in beautiful patterns. The algonquins treasured their wampum and also admired its beauty.

To them.. The colors had different meanings.. White wampum stood for health and wealth and also for peace. A strip of black or purple wampum could be sent to a friend to show that you had sympathy for his troubles. On holidays, the algonquins wore belts and decorations of wampum. The chief of the tribe, of course, had the most Wampum   for wampum was proof that a person had riches and power.

All good things, they say, come to an end. Wampum money ended some 200 years ago, and since then Americans have not been allowed to make their own cash from sea shells.  It ended because the settlers used false wampum to trade with the Indians. They used cheap porcelain beads instead of the true wampum which was made so patiently from dainty shells. In time, the true wampum lost its value as money. Since then, the handsome beadwork has been valuable only for its beauty.