The Chumash nation of Southern California (Morro Bay to Malibu) made their finest Olivella shell callous bead by using sea lion seal whiskers as the drill bits. Seal whiskers are not like regular keratin hair they are more like flexible steel in hardness especially the follicle base! On the east coast, harbor/grey seals might have been utilized in similar way? The other material for drill bits was sharpened fish bones to achieve those micro holes as small as a millimeter in size. Chipped quartz stone drill bits could not achieve those tiny diameter holes especially in tubular beads that required being drilled from opposite ends to meet in middle.
This is a really high overview, so having some questions is completely understandable! Try this video for a more in-depth look at the making of Wampum with both traditional and modern techniques, as well as a little bit more on the history of its usage as currency: th-cam.com/video/Jd3RJ0OcJ3A/w-d-xo.html
It's weird how people think about this old technology, like for some reason people think it's more amazing than the tech we have now. As if the tech we have now was gifted to us by aliens or something. Obviously, this stuff was one old step of many.
LOVE this show !
The Chumash nation of Southern California (Morro Bay to Malibu) made their finest Olivella shell callous bead by using sea lion seal whiskers as the drill bits. Seal whiskers are not like regular keratin hair they are more like flexible steel in hardness especially the follicle base! On the east coast, harbor/grey seals might have been utilized in similar way? The other material for drill bits was sharpened fish bones to achieve those micro holes as small as a millimeter in size. Chipped quartz stone drill bits could not achieve those tiny diameter holes especially in tubular beads that required being drilled from opposite ends to meet in middle.
How? How do you make shells into beads? Idk this video left me with more questions then answers.
This is a really high overview, so having some questions is completely understandable! Try this video for a more in-depth look at the making of Wampum with both traditional and modern techniques, as well as a little bit more on the history of its usage as currency: th-cam.com/video/Jd3RJ0OcJ3A/w-d-xo.html
Crack the shell
Observe it to determine shape/size etc
Smooth it round it etc
Drill a hole all the way, 👌🏾🪶 #indigenous #Narragansett
It's weird how people think about this old technology, like for some reason people think it's more amazing than the tech we have now. As if the tech we have now was gifted to us by aliens or something. Obviously, this stuff was one old step of many.
so all he did was talk about it