wampum

noun

1. small beads made of shells and used by North American Indians as money, for ornament, etc.: they were of two varieties, white and the more valuable black (or dark purple)
2. Slang money

Etymology: earlier wampompeag < Massachusett (cf. Abenaki wαpαpəyak, wampum strings < wαp-, white + -αpi, string + -ak, pl.)