What does "seawant" mean?

Seawant: The name used by the Algonquin Indians for the shell beads which passed among the Indians as money. Note: Seawan was of two kinds; wampum, white, and suckanhock, black or purple, -- the former having half the value of the latter. Many writers, however, use the terms seawan and wampum indiscriminately. Bartlett.