Photographs (left to right): Unidentified Flower; Appalachians, West Virginia; Great Blue Heron, Florida
Belt Made by Robert Winters
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Reproduction:
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Description:
The belt above is a reproduction of or a war belt that may have circulated throughout the Ohio country during the mid-1700s. The composition of the belt was said to have been made up of red and blue glass trade beads that were 250-300 years old. White shell beads were used to depict the war hatchet.The web site described the symbolism (Quote):Reading the belt: War belts were traditionally either painted red or made of red beads to signify the blood about to be shed.Blue Diamond on the left signifies a tribe or group of tribes who lived in the areas then considered to be the West (Western Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, etc).Clear red beads represent the "Red Road" of the Indian thoughts regarding peace, trade, and friendship. A white "Hatchet of War" cleaves the Red Road as surrounding black beads symbolize the death that shadows war.
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