Meet Marcus Hendricks of Wampanoag Shells, who spoke with Amplify's Rachael Devaney...

As the Cape Cod community becomes enamored with the hoopla of the holidays, Amplify had the chance to catch up with Marcus Hendricks, owner of Wampanoag Shells, an indigenous-owned business that offers handmade and authentic Native jewelry and cuisine like stuffed quahogs. Despite being extremely busy readying items for the upcoming gift-giving season, Hendricks, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Nipmuc Nation, took the time to explain what Wampanoag Shells is all about:

Wampanoag Shells sustains Hendricks and his family and also honors tribal traditions that connect Hendricks to his indigenous ancestry. You can find Wampanoag Shells here: http://www.wampanoagshells.com.

Amplify: What do you offer at Wampanoag Shells?

Hendricks: This coming season I’ve been able to introduce a wide range of products and I’ve gone from just making and creating jewelry to implementing sage sticks, two types of medicine bags handmade out of buckskin, and handmade hunting and utility knives. I also have my wampum jewelry for sale and that stems from earrings and bracelets to pendants, to a wide range of charms, as well as wampum beads, tubes and buttons for shirts and custom regalia. As I make and sell my stuffed quahogs, I also have raw quahog shells for sale which can be used for people to create on their own.

Amplify: For those who don’t know, what is wampum?

Hendricks: Let’s start by breaking down the word wampum. Wampum, in the Wampanoag language, began with the word “wampi,” which means light – “white light.” That’s where you get the word “wampa” from – because we are the “people of the first light.” Wampi on its own is specific to the white part of the quahog shell – and by adding the “um” to the end of the word, it means that the shell could be used or turned into something else. The word “wampapeg” means a strand of beads. So, these traditional and ancient words are linked to the ways of the original people of the Northeast – Indigenous Natives of Turtle Island. It’s also all connected to how we used quahog shell for ceremony, trading, for weddings, for birthdays. Those were all cultural aspects of using wampum. In modern times, we use wampum mostly for trading, for educational purposes, and for business aspects. It’s become a way to survive in the modern lifestyle that we have. It’s been said that it’s taboo to sell wampum and medicines, but just like everything else, our tribal ways have also evolved. I also feel like we should continue making wampum and feature it as much as we can because that shows it still exists and we are still connected to it.

Amplify: When did you become interested in making wampum?

Hendricks: Since I was a kid, I’ve always been fascinated with the colors and the striations of the quahog shell. But it wasn’t until I was actually working as an interpreter at the living history portion of Plymouth Plantation, and I was working it (wampum) and using it myself, that I started to feel a strong connection. I began making wampum jewelry and created some gifts and sold items on a small scale for family and friends. I always had an abundance of shells because I quahogged for sustenance and I always had so much left over – especially after I began making fresh stuffed quahogs. Before my business, I just wanted to immerse myself into this realm so I could be connected to my tribal traditions – more or less for myself as an individual. The business came later. But when I was building my business, I didn’t want it to be a craft project. I wanted it to be a way of life. So I started trading with other people in the community and began learning more and more – mastering the art and history of it. I also didn’t want any of my quahog shells to go to waste so after shucking and having so many fragments, I went from making beads and pendants and round disks and it just started taking off from there.

Amplify: When did Wampanoag Shells officially open for business?

Hendricks: Roughly around 2010, I got my business certificate at the Mashpee Town Hall and that’s when the name Wampanoag Shells was created. About two years into the business, I started having really great success and I attribute that to the network of connections I had built over time. I have so many friends from going to Powwows all over the country and I had networked with so many people at colleges and university across Massachusetts. So my work started getting noticed. I also lived in Northern California for a while and lived on a tribal reservation so there are many different avenues that brought me towards success. In addition to that, I began to heavily amp up my presence on social media and added my business to websites like Etsy and eBay and my online sales just started taking off.

Amplify: Have the most recent current events and financial climate of the country affected your business? And where do you see your business going in the next five years?

Hendricks: I pretty much operate on the assumption that the financial, social and political climate of the country is ever-changing. By expanding what I offer, I’m able to continue to generate interest. Like right now, I feel people need medicine, herbs and spices, so I created those options and made it easy for people to access these things online. I want to do more for the community so that people can continue to connect with me. Because of the times we are in, and because of what we are dealing with financially, culturally, and spiritually, we are not seeing each other as much in person so my online social media presence is helping a lot since I can’t make it to as many powwows, farmers markets and fairs.

As far as the next five years, I will hopefully continue to create more and more products, and offer a wide range of Native and cultural items. I also hope to open a trading post that has homestead items and cultural items and native American and indigenous items. Beyond my own goals, I also want to mentor people and help them get their own dreams off the ground. I tell people all the time to just get out there and just do it. Just get started and it will all come together. — By Rachael Devaney

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Wampanoag Shells on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WampanoagShells
On Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/wampanoag-shells
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wampanaog.shells.7
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wampanoagshells/?hl=en