A question was asked in the newspaper

Q. I recently read a mention in a magazine that Native American trade beads and ornaments, called wampum, were made from sea shells. Did Native Americans in our area make and use wampum?

News Editor Si Cantwell answered

A. Yes. It appears the Narragansett, a Native American Algonquin tribe, were the primary makers of wampum – highly polished pieces of shell made from quahog clams and whelks.

As my grandfather liked to say.

Hold her newt she’s a rear in

In other words hold on let’s check our facts before we start to write?

For far too many years our people have just grinned in disgust and walked away and look where that got us?

Stories like the following are another reason why non natives have no right to be writing about our people!

Even before the Narraganset tribe came down to take the…