The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-12
s1x NATIONS, WAMPUM BELLS.
Two OF the Largest now In the state Collection
ut Albany.

TIVE OF the Largest now In the state Collection
at Albany.
ALBANY, June -Som time ago the Onon-
daga chiefs, to whom the appointment Of the
wampum keeper belongs, gavo that office In
pcrpetuity to the University Of the State Of
New York so that their remaining belts might
be saved from further mutilatlon and losa By
virtue of this appointment. the university Is to
have and to hold any OF these wherever found.
Two Of tho largest were retained for o time by
. woman who claimed ono OF them as her own.
An amicable arrangement was made. by which
both were surrendered, and they are now In
the State collection here.
This harmonious action OF the chiefs and of
the State was mono too soon, and in no other
way could tho loss or destruction Of these
wampum belts have been prevented. As 1t
was. over 1000 beads had been recently cut
from the smaller of the two and q few months
later there might have been nothing left.
The history ofsthis gradual loss will show the
value of this timely action. Fifty years ago
| there were twenty five or thirty OF these belts
kept at OnondRga, A little over q score Of
years ago only twelve remained, nearly half of
which were imperfect In q marked degree. Last
year only two could be found;and these were
soon hid away. Tho location Of some others
was ascertaincd, most of which were In good
condition. but about half have disappeared en-
tirely within the last twenty years.
Tho fact that the university. through Mr.. A.
G. Richmond as its agent. has now legal author
ity to obtain and preserve these belts probably
had much to do with their quiet surren der.
New York may Weil DO copErst9iSted on 80
ana the SIX Nations on. having these memorials
OF other days in safe keeping.
They are not historic treasures In the sense
OF concentrating any known event; nor do
bosds in the so-called Hiawatha belt were made
irroquois league. Tho supposed French belt
had nothing to do with the French; The one
S Mi,n 'g IN sse % eo%n9 SHiin house e"h IS . m Msrn rhS of Of
some treaty with the United States. but no one
knows when or Ehere' nv The belts nS;N Ts ssek ke Rh by
porsril g'I plae SsSY1 VIII Abrs@ L. Fort; Who had
q Year later and then they, came into Thomas
websters hands, He probably knew what
than appointment. All his IDEAS about them
wf TSe vague sc1so fsa offfH Nafh Bolt. which that
chief never saw, is an example Of PrGgressiy 70
and desePi6ed iitas sixteen n' inches SH sro"d and fout;
inches. lie said also: The several nations
these are Joined by a line Of white wan,pum
and united to a heart in the centre, Implying
Of these squares remain, and the shortening, Of
the bolt is evidentto all The mutilation and dis.
appearance OF inc missing DolLb present no. RTobu
mystery. They were kept in an elm bark bag.
which also should be secured by the State, and
were dumped in this promiscuously. Occa-
sional breakNge resulted. and beads shelled of.
There wore always many loose In the bag.
Some were required for council use and in send
ing messages. The white dog feast annually
from the public store. Without any dishonesty
on the part, of tho wampum keeper and with
tho knowledge of the chiefs, tho bolts gradually
diminished. in size and number.
Mr.: Clark did not describe the two just Sc
cured for the SIntA. tho most remarkable in INC
respect of any In existence. being extremely
broad. In tho middle Of the last century a belt
thirty.nine rows deep was described as pro-
digiously large. One of these is, forty .hve and
the other fifty rows deep, tho widest on record.
giving a breadth OF nearly fifteen inches to the
largest OF the two. A present, II 10 not quito q
yard long. and the original length 10 conjecturall.
Tho patterns of both are somewhat geomctri-
cal. a repetition Of points. bars, and diamonds,
the meaning of which is lost. but probably re-
fers TO an alliance Of some kind. Tho bolts are
very well made. apparently by the same hand,
and ueed on the same OCCASION. There is o lib
oral allowance of purple beads. one Of several
proofs of the recent origin Of these and other
remaining bolts.