Year: 1869

INDIAN BELT FOUND AT MERRICoNEAG.


From the Brunswick Ts,sgraph.l


Some weeks ago Mr.. Henry Barnes, Harps-
well, laid upon our desk series OF copper
tubes, attached to each other with slender,
soft leather thongs, arranged in the form OF a
belt. He informed us that they were brought
to the surface OF his field by the plow, in No
vember last, about thirty rods northeast OF
the place, where in 1861, several skeletons
were exhumed by the same means, with
about sixty beads of wampum and several
large copper tubes, with ornaments of the
same metal apparently for the nose and ears.


The place where these aboriginal relics
were found is on or near the line of the an
cient carrying-place, between the waters of
Merriconeag Sound and Casco Bay; and be-
ing short, and the most feasible on all the
long peninsula, it received the name OF "Mer-
r.coneag," meaning the "Quick Portage" and
thus gave the ancient name to all that part oil
the present township.


The foundation of this belt was made OF
soft, prepared deer or moose-skin, with thin
padding made of small bulrushes, fastened
together side by side with a tough grass
thread passing through at intervals about an
inch apart; though some OF them were WOW
en- together. Over this cushion were placed
the several rows of the copper tubes, ranged
perpendicularly across the belt, which was
about eight inches wide, and probably wider.
Several pieces OF fiat thin copper were also
found imbedded with the other materials; but
so much corroded and broken, as to leave no
means of deciding what relation they had to
the belt, or what other use they could supply.
These tubes are of different lengths and di-
ameters, and are formed of thin copper, ac-
curately relied into form; with one edge lap
ping over the other where they meet, and all
preserving great uniformity in their respect
i've rows. The shortest are about fourth OF
an inch in length, and are about fifty in num-
Der. The next in length are about three
fourths of an inch in measurement, and were
about hundred and fifty In number. The
more than hundred; and few are two and
a half or three inches long. There are many
vacant places in the rows, where others have
been lost by corrosion, as the indications OF
the fastenings show. The diameters are gen
orally three-sixteenths, and some are one
fourth of an inch. The whole number was
probably not less than four hundred.


They were secured above the padding and
brought close together in the rows, by strings
passing through them, and fastened to a cross
cord or thong at each end, secured to the
foundation. these strings were In part made
of prepared deer or moose-skiu, so cut in





a two-twined cord, made of fax, as is shown
by the fibre and odor when burnt.


A fringe OF the soft leather, having one Of
the shorter of the tubes On each of the strips
with knot below each tube to prevent Il
from slipping of, formed the ends of the belt
and the whole, when the copper was kept
bright, and the coIors were fresh, made a
jaunty addition to the dress of the skin-clad
I ative. Similar bright copper ornaments oil
Indian use in other parts of the country, were
In early times taken for gold by Europeans.


Pieces OF sole-leather, hard and thick, were
also found in the same cavity. From the an
gular bend on the side of one OF these frag-
ments, a suggestion Is derived that this ma.
terial formed box or case for the deposit OF
the belt wheu not in use. The largest piece
is about fifteen inches long and seven or
eight wide, with an appearance at the edges
of having been still larger.


The soft leather and also the rushes, when
burned give off greenlsh flame, showing
how much they are impregnated with the
rust OF the wasted copper.


One small piece OF leather is of different
character, having the hair of the animal ad-
herring to the surface, ut easily rubbed of.
A few bones OF birds and an arrowhead OF
stone were also found witi the rest of these
articles.