wampum belt

wampum belt

wampum belt

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Introduction

A wampum belt, part of which has been lost, with a partial image of a beaver in purple beads on a white ground. Probably presented by the Seneca to the Wendat in the 1770s

Nation of Maker: Huron-Wendat Seneca
Nation of Origin

Wyandot tradition states this was presented by the Seneca to the Wendat, Fenton, Jennings and others suggest this could have been presented at a council in 1777 (see documentation)

Date Made or Date Range: 1780s to 1790s
Summary of Source(s) for this Relative

documentation in Smithsonian files

Materials

white and purple shell beads, deer hide thongs, vegetable fiber

Techniques or Format

15 rows in current condition, there would originally have been more rows of beads, there are four purple beads on the left hand side, presumably from another motif that was originally on the left hand side

Motifs and Patterns

beaver (partially missing)

Additional Context

Beaver tails figure in speeches given in wampum presentations as always in the bowl that is also represented in belts

Dimensions: 0 × 0 × 0 mm
Condition: poor, half of belt missing
Current Location: National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. USA
Catalogue, Accession or Reference Number: E391891
GKS Reference Number: 24904
Record Creation Context

Record created during GRASAC visit to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History from Dec 3-7, 2012. The visit was funded by the Smithsonian's Recovering Voices project in order to work with GRASAC to develop a methodology for incorporating indigenous language research with material culture research.

Record Creation Notes/Observations

Participants (during the week): Alan Corbiere, Lisa Truong, Crystal Migwans, Ruth Phillips, Mary Ann Corbiere, Rand Valentine, Myna Toulouse and Theodore Toulouse

Approximate Place of Origin

44.16098, -91.78108

Source of Information about Places

documentation suggests it was presented intertribally rather than between Europeans and First Nations, absence of alphabetic letters and figures suggests this is true

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