Photographs (left to right): Suwannee River Park Live Oaks, Florida; Burgess Falls, Tennessee; Suwannee River Park Live Oaks, Florida

Wampum Belt Archive

First Nations' Code Talkers

belt

Original Belt Design Richard D. Hamell

April 15, 2019

 

 

Original Size:

unknown

Reproduction:

Beaded length: 29.0 inches. Width 9.5 inches. Total length with fringe: 53.0 inches.

Beads:

Rows: 181 by 19 beads wide. Total 3,439 beads

Materials:

Beads: acrylic clay. Warp: leather. Weave: artificial sinew.

Description:

The four bonded colored diamonds represent the 4 sacred directions (colors vary among the nations). At the junction of the four diamonds is ancient black shell wampum signifying Turtle Island. The interstitial spaces are filling with blue polymer wampum for the Sky World.

 The most appropriate manner to include the description on the belt was the use of the Morse Code.

Top:     First Nations

Bottom: Code Talkers.

Left:    World War I (WWI)
World War I (WWII)
Right:  Korean
Vietnam

Attached to the upper right and left corners are four eagle feather donated by Seth Brown (Seneca, Salamanca). Beneath the eagle feather on the left is a strand of 1650 shell wampum. On the right is a pouch of Seneca tobacco.

The concept of making a wampum belt to honor the Code Talkers was in the fall of 2018. The design for the belt was 191 columns long by 19 beads high for a total of 3,629 beads. The beads are a polymer and were donated by Heidi Chapman.

As a Quartermaster in the US Coast Guard (1965-71), one of the methods of communication I was trained in was Morse Code. Therefore, it seemed only fitting to use Code to honor the Code Talkers.

The wampum belt honors the 33 tribal nations’ warriors who served in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. The four interlocking diamonds represent the four direction surround by blue (Sky World). In the center of the four directions are two purple shell wampum (1640's) symbolizing Turtle Island. Attached to the upper left with the eagle feathers is a strand of white shell wampum (1640's) and on the upper right is a leather pouch with sacred tobacco. The Eagle Feathers were donated by Seth Brown.

Duty, Honor, Country.
Nya:weh to all the Warriors

Seneca Indian Museum, Salamanca, NY
Presented at the Curry Veterans Pow Wow.