What is the symbolism of this wampum belt?

The Two Row Wampum Belt (Kaswentha) of the Haudenosaunee is a well-known example of a wampum belt. It still symbolizes an agreement of mutual respect and peace between the Haudenosaunee and European newcomers (initially the Dutch) to North America.

What is Iroquois wampum?

Wampum is a vital part of Onondaga and Haudenosaunee culture. Wampum is created from the shell of a clam. The beads are cut from the white and purple parts of the shell. The pieces are rounded, sanded and drilled to make a bead. Because of the effort that is needed to make a bead, wampum is highly valued.

What do wampum belts look like?

Wampum belts are made of white and purple beads, the white beads from the whelk shell, and the purple from the quahog shell.

Why are wampum belts purple and white?

While it is called Ote-ko-a in the Seneca language, wampum is the most widely recognized term. The process of making the wampum beads is arduous. Once acquired, the shell was broken into white or purple cubes. White wampum signifying peace while purple relates messages of more serious or political matters.

How did the Iroquois make wampum?

Women artisans traditionally made wampum beads by rounding small pieces of whelk shells, then piercing them with a hole before stringing them. Wooden pump drills with quartz drill bits and steatite weights were used to drill the shells.

How do you read a wampum belt?

The wampum belt as a whole symbolizes one river with two vessels (the purple lines) traveling side by side. One purple line/vessel is a ship, representing the Dutch and another is a canoe, the Haudenosaunee. Inside each vessel are the people, traditions, laws, and ways of life.

What did the Iroquois use wampum belts for?

Traditional wampum belts were used as covenants and petitions for understanding. Words spoken during an agreement are made into wampum to be used for ceremony, teaching, and reminders of law and values. Who do they belong to? Wampums belong to the Iroquois Confederacy, or Haudenosaunee.

Are wampum belts sacred?

Named for the short, tubular shell beads called “wampum,” these belts are sacred to the indigenous people, as they are a record of their agreements made with non-Native nations.

How did the wampum belt give the Iroquois a sense of identity as a group?

These belts show that, although the Iroquois come from different nations, they are politically, socially, and culturally united. They have COLLECTIVE IDENTITY – shared belief system – including language, culture, values and attitudes.

Why is the wampum belt purple?

Whelk and cowrie shells produce the signature white wampum beads; quahog clam shells are used to create the beautiful and vibrant purple wampum beads.