For hundreds of years the Western Abenaki a Native American nation in what is now Vermont New Hampshire, used designs and patterns made of beads – wampum- instead of writing. They used the beads for decoration and to tell stories, send messages, celebrate important events, and,'”keep records. Because they did, they were able to remember their stories and their history.

– Quoted from “History in Beads” by Frederick M. Wiseman Ph.D. 1996.

Author(s): Frederick M. Wiseman
Journal: Historic Roots: A Magazine of Vermont History
Publisher: Vermont Historical Society
Date: 1996
Pages: 25-30