Wampum, Furs & Possession

About the project

Exchanges in what the Dutch West India Company called ‘New Netherland’ were fuelled by two categories of Indigenous materials derived from Haudenosaunee and Algonkian ecosystems: furs (particularly beaver skins), and wampum (a symbolically powerful shell bead, also used as substitute currency).

This project examines how Indigenous value systems, diplomatic traditions and ecological knowledge shaped the terms of inter-cultural exchange.

Following furs across the Atlantic, this project also explores practices of hatting and collecting in the Dutch Republic. North American beavers were not just commodified by European merchants, but were also studied by physicians and natural historians who referred to Indigenous contexts.

Aim of the project

This project supports dissertation research that is more broadly interested in Indigenous histories of place, colonial power structures and ecological precarity.

It approaches these subjects by situating deeper histories of human-animal relations and long-distance exchange in North America and the Low Countries.

Moreover, the project considers how deforestation in medieval and early modern Europe relates to shifting political and legal structures, artisan practices and artistic traditions.

In the North American context, this project examines how Haudenosaunee, Mahican, Munsee, Lenape and Susquehannock actors challenged European proprietary claims and elaborated on their diplomatic beliefs and practices through an ultimately global trade.

Partners and Sponsors

Stephanie Archangel
Conservator Geschiedenis
Onderzoeksadviseur