Marcus Hendricks

Marcus Hendricks is the owner of Wampanoag Shells. He is Wampanoag, native to what we now know as Cape Cod, Massachusetts where he is continuing a cultural tradition of making the wampum from quahog shells. He harvests quahog shells out of the ocean and sells the meat to restaurants where they make stuffed quahogs. With the shells he very patiently does the work of shaping them into beads, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. In addition to making jewelry Marcus can also be found leading nature walks on Cape Cod that help inform people about the history of the land and what it was like before colonization.

I spoke with Marcus at Lake Wassookeag in Dexter, Maine. Our conversation centered on where he draws inspiration for his work and his connection to the earth and his culture.