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Wampum Belts and Their Significance

Jul 4, 2025

Overview

This lecture discusses the creation, significance, and cultural meaning of wampum beads and belts among the Haudenosaunee, including their use in treaties and storytelling.

Making Wampum Beads

  • Indigenous people made beads from white and purple quahog shells through carving and hollowing with a bow drill.
  • These beads, called wampum, were crafted through a difficult and time-consuming process.

Purpose and Symbolism of Wampum Belts

  • Wampum beads were woven into belts to represent treaties, meetings, and historical stories.
  • Wampum belts were not worn as clothing but used as records and symbols of agreements.

The Hiawatha Belt

  • The Hiawatha Belt is the most famous wampum belt, symbolizing the unification of five original Haudenosaunee nations.
  • The nations represented are Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Mohawk, from west to east across New York.
  • The central tree on the belt represents both the Onondaga and the Great Tree of Peace, where leaders buried their weapons.

The Two-Row Wampum Belt

  • The Two-Row Belt depicts two parallel lines symbolizing two boats: one for the Haudenosaunee and one for the Dutch.
  • This belt represents a 1600s treaty to live side by side peacefully, with each group following its own path.

Wampum and European Contact

  • Europeans, including the Dutch, traded easier-to-make glass beads with the Haudenosaunee.
  • Europeans used "wampum" to describe any bead, but to the Haudenosaunee, wampum had specific cultural meaning and was not used as money or trade items.

Key Terms & Definitions

  • Wampum — Beads made from quahog shells, symbolizing treaties and stories, not used for trade by the Haudenosaunee.
  • Haudenosaunee — Confederation of six Native nations; the lecture discusses the original five.
  • Hiawatha Belt — Wampum belt representing the unity of the five Haudenosaunee nations.
  • Two-Row Belt — Wampum belt symbolizing a peace treaty between the Haudenosaunee and the Dutch.
  • Great Tree of Peace — Symbol of unity and peace where leaders buried weapons.

Action Items / Next Steps

  • Review the symbolism in the Hiawatha and Two-Row belts for understanding treaty representation.
  • Study the differences between Haudenosaunee and European views on wampum.