Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans, made from white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple quahog clam shells. Wampum belts consist of carefully placed strings of knotted wampum beads, which are made from quahog clam, whelk, or cowrie shells. The designs and colors of the beads used in wampum belts had meaning, so the belts themselves were mnemonic devices that could aid the memory about the history, traditions, and laws that the belts had been associated with. Wampum belts were used as a memory aid in oral tradition and were sometimes used as badges of office or as ceremonial devices in Indigenous cultures, such as the Iroquois.

Wampum belts were used to mark agreements between peoples, and belts made of wampum are of particular significance with regards to treaties and covenants made between Indigenous peoples and European colonial powers. Wampum belts were traditionally worn across the body like a sash and could carry two meanings: one on the front and one on the back. The imagery on wampum belts is best described as wampum writing, and records and treaties are kept in this manner.

Every Chief and Clan Mother in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy has a string or strings of wampum that serves as a certificate of their office, and these, along with the authority of the position, are passed on to their successors. Wampum belts were used as a pledge during marriage ceremonies or given as a token of respect across council fires or in times of mourning. Wampum belts were also used to recall oral tradition, and particular patterns symbolized events, alliances, or kinship relations between different peoples.