Dentalia are shells of scaphopod mullusks.
Indigenous peoples living along the coasts had access to dentalium so the shells were their currency and an international trade item.
My Dad told the old stories when the people
from the Alaskan villages would place the carcasses of
dead animals in the ocean so the mullusks would
congregate for an easy feeding and be an easy harvest.
Dentalia was traded with the inland peoples for food stock such as moose meat and for furs, particularly, gopher skins.
Both groups of people used the dentalia and gopher skins in
making regalia and for jewelry.
The Southern Tutchone words for sea shell is gyu dhu;
for snail shell it's shuckwachat dhu.
Gopher skins are tsal dhu.
Moose meat is hyunday thun.
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