saint_monkey

Everyone knows that the Dutch bought Manhattan from the American Indians for beads,¹ but did you know that they traded it to the English for nutmeg? It's true. The Dutch had a monopoly on nutmeg, they went to great extremes to accomplish this, going so far as to obliterate indigenous populations for it. Pretty soon they owned all the islands in indonesia where it grew native. Except the island of Run. They traded the British Manhattan for Run. (actually it wasn't quite that simple. In reality the Dutch killed everyone on Run, and then the Duke of York captured Manhattan for the English, and both sides agreed to keep what they had taken in order to end the conflict.)

You can read more about the murderous history of nutmeg here.

¹Actually, the only record of the purchase mentions nothing about beads.

"They report that our people are in good heart and live in peace there; the women have also borne some children there. They have purchased the Island Manhattes from the Indians for the value of 60 guilders; 'tis 11,000 morgens (about 22,00 acres) in size. [E.B. O'Callaghan, ed. 1856 Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York. Albany. Vol. 1, [p. 37.]"

The assumption may come from the trading of a Wampum belt, which would have been proof to the Indians of the agreement, sort of like a contract.