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Originally produced by Native Americans from the columns of marine Conch shells, early forms of elongated beads have long been in use in North America. They were gradually replaced by glass, brass and silver until Eastern wampum manufacturers began producing shell hairpipe from the West Indian conch sometime in the late 1700s. Carried by the Lewis & Clark Expedition, the Northwest Company and Auguste Chouteau as trade goods, both bone and shell hairpipe are mentioned in American Fur Company records from the 1840s. Beginning around 1880 they began to be produced commercially and have been available ever since.