Rhody Maker: Wampum Artist and Woodworker Allen Hazard
Hazard maintains the traditions of the Narragansett people with his wampum jewelry and walking sticks.
May 10, 2021
Allen Hazard, owner of the Purple Shell shop at the Fantastic Umbrella Factory in Charlestown, threads a wampum bracelet between his fingers. The beads, which are made from quahog shell, range in color from lilac to deep purple with pale white in between.
“These traditional tubular beads are what people come to see me for,” says Hazard, a member of the Narragansett Indian Tribe. He is widely regarded as an expert on wampum and was featured in a