Higgins Art Gallery

Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America is the story of cultural preservation. The Wampanoag people have lived in northeastern America for over 12,000 years. Their nation extended beyond Boston, into central Massachusetts, and south to Rhode Island. 

This traveling exhibition unites contemporary indigenous artists and educators in retelling history from the indigenous perspective and through a powerful piece of traditional art. It features a one-thousand beed wampum belt made in the style and traditions of the Wampanoag people - a belt that tells our story through its unique design. Wampum belts are a tapestry of art and tribal history. Made from the purple and white shells of the whelk and quahog, wampum beads embody the Wampanoag connection to the sea and to life itself. Each shell bead is imbued with memory and meaning by the maker.