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Photographs (left to right): Ocean, San Diego Beach, California; California Desert Ocean Sunset; San Diego Beach, California
Wampum Belt Archive
Dust Fan Belt
(also called Adodarhoh Belt, Wing , or Dust Fan of Council President Belt )
NYSM E-37420 Original (Clarke, 1931)
Reproduction: R. D. Hamell
Original Size:
Length: 31.0 inches. Width: 14.5 inches. Rows wide: 50.
Beads:
Rows: 202 rows by 50 beads wide. Total beads: 10,100.
Materials:
Warp: Leather. Weave: artificial sinew.
Description:
It is an Onondaga National Belt woven on buckskin thongs and is the widest wampum belt known. The design is composed of a series of ten connecting purple hexagon-shaped figures, on a white background; both of which are edged with a white and a purple line of beads.
Doctor Beauchamp has stated that the pattern and design are quite modern and that "it seems to represent an alliance, actual or proposed, and to be of the variety termed chain belts." It has been variously referred to as the "Wing," or "Dust Fan of the President of the Council" of the Six Nations; the "Wing Mat" used by the headman to shield him from the dust while presiding at the council; the "Second Belt used by the Principal Chief of the Six Nations." A. C. Parker refers to the design as representing "The Ever-growing Tree" which was the symbol of permanence of the Iroquois Confederacy, and says "It was displayed in confederate councils and was therefore sometimes called the 'Wing of the Chief Royaneh,' It was to protect the council and to keep the eyes of the 50 civil rulers free from dust. It was displayed whenever the League Constitution was recited."
Backed with linen in 1956, purchased by the institution in 1896 from William Beauchamp who acquired it among the Onondaga earlier the year. Repatriated 1988.
Reference:
Clarke, Noah T. 1931 New York State Museum Bulletin No. 288, Fig. 34.
Stolle, Nickolaus. 2016. Talking Beads: The history of wampum as a value and knowledge bearer, from its very first beginnings until today. Hamburg, Germany. ISSN 1437-7837
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