Photographs (left to right): Tent Rocks National Monument, New Mexico; Clouds, Amherst, New York; Tent Rocks National Monument, New Mexico

Wampum Belt Archive

 

Oneida Five Diagonal Belt

Beauchamp (1901) Plate 23, Figure 254

belt

Hamell (Nov, 06, 2024)

 

Original Size:
 Rows: 7. Length: 3 feet. Width: 3 inches. Plant fiber and sinew.
Reproduction:
 Beaded length: 45.0 inches. Width: 3.5 inches. Length w/fringe: 69.0. inches.
Beads:
 Rows: 7. Columns: 282. Beads: 1,794.
Materials:
 Warp: Deer leather. Weft: Artificial sinew. Beads: Polymer.

Description:

Beauchamp. 1898 reported the belt held by S. H. Goodwin (1895) came from near the Georgian Bay, Canada. Constructed in seven rows with 5 rows of 9 white 'squares' 4 beads deep (wide) on a diagonal woven with twine.

"In 1895 S. H. Goodwin sent the writer three small belts for examination, which he had lrom near the Georgian Bay, Canada. Fig. 254 shows one of these, being an ordinary belt of seven rows, having five rows [slashes] of white beads arranged diagonally on the dark ground BwUCHmp, 1901).

Rick Hill noted "The description of the purple belt states that there are nine squares, but the photo only has seven. This suggests the Seven Nations, of which the Oneida was not one."

Romoe Sentinel (1997). Belt returned to the Oneida Nation. According to Ray Halbritter the belt having 5 diagonals suggest the belt was made prior to the early 1700'x before the Tuscarora joined the confederacy.

 

Reference:

Beauchamp. 1898. Earthenware of the New York Aborigines. NYS NMusuem Bulletin Vol 5, No 22.

Beauchamp, William M. 1901. Wampum and Shell Articles Used By The New York Indians. New York State Museum Bulletin No. 41, Vol. 8.

Hill, Rick. 2014. Personal Communicaitons. Six Nations Reserve, Ontario, Canada.

Journal of the New York StateArchaeological Association. 2007. No. 123.

Oneida Nation: http://www.oneidaindiannation.com/about/sovereignty

Rome Sentinel. 1997. August. New York Historical Papers. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/

Susquehanna River Archaeological Center. 2007. http://www.sracenter.org/Newsletters/newsletters/NewsletterSept2007_Color_lowversionpdf.pdf