coupe,
comme il s'est de tout tems pratique dans plusieurs nations."--Charlevoix,
tom. v., p. 313.

Calumet in general signifies a pipe, being a Norman word, derived from
_chalumeau_. The savages do not understand this word, for it was
introduced into Canada by the Normans when they first settled there, and
has still continued in use among the French planters. The calumet, or
pipe, is called in the Iroquois language _ganondaoe_, and by the other
savage natives, _poagau_.

Embassadors were never safe among any of the savage tribes who do not
smoke the calumet.--Lafitau, vol. ii., p. 313. At the time of the early
French writers on Indian customs, the calumet, since almost universally
in use, was only known among the tribes inhabiting Louisiana, who in
many respects were more advanced in civilization than those of the cold
northern regions.]

[Footnote 280: Wampum is the Indian name of ornaments manufactured by
the Indians from vari-colored shells[281] which they get on the shore of
the fresh-water streams, and file or cut into bits of half an inch, or
an inch in length, and perforate, giving them the shape of pieces of
broken pipe-stems, which they string on deer's sinews, or weave them
ingeniously into war-belts for the waist. The wampum is evidently meant
in the description of the _esurgny_ or _cornibolz_, given by Verazzano
in Ramusio, which has so much puzzled translators and commentators.
Lafitau and Charlevoix both describe it under the name of _porcelaine_.

"La porcelaine dont nous parlons ici, est bien differente de ces
ouvrages de porcelaine qu'on apporte de la Chine ou du Japan[282] dont
la matiere est une terre beluttee et preparee. Celle ci est tiree de
certains coquillages de mer, connues en generale sous le nom de
porcelaines--celles dont nos sauvages se servent sont canelees, et
semblable pour leur figure aux coquilles de St. Jacques. Il y a de
porcelaine de deux sortes, l'une est blanche, et c'est la plus commune.
L'autre est d'un violet obscur; plus elle tire sur le noir plus elle est
estimee. La porcelaine qui sert pour les affaires d'etat est toute
travaillee au petits cylindres de la longueur d'un quart de pouce et
gros a proportion. On les distribue en deux manieres, en branches et en
colliers. Les branches sont composees de cylindres enfiles sans ordre, a
la suite les uns des autres comme des grains de chapelet. La porcelaine
en est ordinairement toute blanche, et on ne s'en sert que pour des