noun
- shell beads or wampum used as currency by Native Americans, especially in colonial times
Usage: historical
Examples
- The Dutch colonists traded seawan for beaver pelts.
- Native American tribes used seawan as a medium of exchange.
- The value of seawan fluctuated based on the quality of the shells.
- Colonial records show payments made in seawan rather than European coins.
- White and purple seawan had different values in trade.
- The word seawan comes from a Native American language.