In Canada, a student discovered seven rare 17th-century beads hidden in old trash.

Archaeology student Callum Brydon from Newfoundland stumbled upon seven tiny white and purple cylindrical beads known as wampum. The beads were buried in a layer of old refuse at the excavation site of the Avalon colony in Ferryland, which was an early European settlement and trading hub for Indigenous peoples in the 17th century.
Wampum is a term used by English settlers to refer to “a string of white shell beads.” These beads were crafted from the shells of mollusks belonging to the family of quahogs, as well as other hard-shelled mollusks. Indigenous peoples initially used them for ceremonial purposes. For instance, belts and necklaces made from these beads were essential for recording messages about significant events, such as treaties and wars. However, wampum later took on the role of currency in trade with the settler colonists. It’s likely that the beads found made their way to the Avalon colony through this trade.
Researchers have recognized the seven tiny beads as a rare find. The artifacts shed new light on the relationships between Canada’s Indigenous peoples and European colonists.

What else is known about the discovery?

The refuse in which the wampum was found had been lying inside a storage area associated with an ancient residential building in Ferryland for centuries, archaeologist Barry Golton, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, told Live Science.

“In over 30 years of archaeological research at the Avalon colony, no wampum has ever been found. As far as we know, these beads have never been discovered in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador,” Professor Golton noted.
The style of the beads and the method of material processing suggest they were made around the year 1600. Wampum likely arrived in Ferryland during the 1640s to 1650s, according to Professor Golton.
The Avalon colony was established by the British in 1621. It was one of the first territories in North America colonized by Europeans. However, just a few years later, settlers abandoned Avalon due to the harsh winters in the region and conflicts with the Indigenous population. In the 1630s, the colony was resettled, transforming it into a center for fishing and trade. Today, this area is part of the town of Ferryland.
During the many years of that began here in the 1980s, archaeologists have uncovered tens of thousands of artifacts. These include fragments of English, Dutch, and German ceramics, glassware, clay pipes, iron knives and spoons, muskets, as well as settlers’ jewelry. Researchers have also discovered remnants of cobblestone streets, part of a marine embankment that protected buildings from erosion and high waves, and the ruins of a large estate that may have belonged to the first governor of the province.