SOURCE 03 · Wampum belt

The Hiawatha Belt

Date & context

The belt records the founding relationship of the original Five Nations. The Confederacy’s founding date is preserved through oral tradition and is debated; this photograph is modern.

Where

Haudenosaunee homelands

The Hiawatha Belt uses white and purple shell beads to record the relationship among the original five nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Wampum helps preserve laws, agreements, and important events.

The Hiawatha Belt shows four white squares and a central tree joined by one line.