Wampum belts were used as a memory aid in oral tradition, and were sometimes used as badges of office or as ceremonial devices in Indigenous cultures, such as the Iroquois.

This belt is a national belt of the Haudenosaunee. The belt is named after Hiawatha, the Peacemaker’s helper. In this belt, it records when 5 nations; the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk…

Wampum belts consist of carefully placed strings of knotted wampum beads, which are made from quahog clam, whelk, or cowrie shells (Muller, 2007; Windatt, 2016a). You can see images of these shells and the beads in the gallery below.

Wampum are tubular purple and white beads made from shells. Wampum are used primarily by Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands for ornamental, ceremonial,...

Nov 20, 2024 · For thousands of years, Indigenous people of America’s northeast region have crafted small, cylindrical beads called wampum from purple and white whelk and clam shells. Often woven into...

Dec 17, 2021 · Most Recognizeable Wampum Belts. Hiawatha Belt A broad dark belt with 38 rows. It has the symbol of the great tree in the centre with two white squares on either side. All are connected by rows of white wampum. This wampum belt conveys the unity of the five nations. Wing or Dust Fan of the Confederate Nations

May 10, 2018 · Wampum belt, with a white ground, and two parallel zig-zag lines of purple wampum, three beads in width. Most of the length of the belt is 16 beads wide; however at one end, 12 beads in from the end, the number of skin warps is …

Feb 5, 2024 · One of the most recognizable qualities of the Haudenosaunee and, to a lesser extent, other Eastern Woodland cultures, is our many Wampum Belts. These are beaded documents gifted from our ancestors that continue to preserve onkwehonwe’neha, our …

Wampum belts are belts made from cylindrical shell beads, typically from the quahog (a type of clam), which vary in color, mainly purple and white. The beads are drilled, polished, and strung together on animal sinews or plant fibers to form specific patterns and designs.

Wampum belts consist of rows of beads woven together. Belts were made using the techniques of both hand-held and loom-woven beadwork, often on a simple loom made from a curved stick resembling an archer's bow.