Photographs (left to right): Athens Botanical Gardens, Georgia; Wakulla Springs, Florida; Athens Botanical Gardens, Georgia

Wampum other than Belts Archive

school belt

Salamanca School Wampum Belt

Richard D. Hamell

Sept 01 , 2022

 

 

Original Size:

Beaded Length: 33.5 inches. Width: 8.0 inches. Length w/fringe: 57.5 inches

Reproduction:

Columns: 211. Rows: 16.

Beads:

Polymer. 3,379 whole beads. 543 half-size beads. 3 historic wampum

Materials:

Warp: Deer leather. Weft: artificial sinew.

Description:

Salamanca City Central School District is proud to present the Seneca Intermediate School Wampum Belt. There were many hands involved in making this a success. Social Emotional Coach Corrine Quin first had the idea after attending Dr. Joe Stahlman’s professional development of Seneca IV and after meetings to brainstorm ways to incorporate the Seneca culture and values into Social Emotional learning.

Corinne and Joe discussed SCCSD Seneca Language Department’s 13 Characteristics of a Human Being, the Seneca Creation Story, and the living history of the territory. From this stemmed the idea for Corinne to work with students on creating a social contract in their class when Joe suggested having the students create Wampum belts. The belt is a mutual agreement among different groups. Dr. Stahlman and the Native American Curriculum Team enlisted the help of a now retired Professor Rich Hamell, who is also an archaeologist and paleontologist. Rich resides in the Rochester area and is affiliated with Ganondagan State Historic Site as long-time docent and friend of the site. Rich is well known for his expertise in weaving Wampum belts for over 22 years. Additionally, Rich has knowledge of the various belts and associated agreements or treaties and works to keep the tradition alive (www.wampumbear.com. He even has the name Wampum Bear.

Read more online: https://www.salamancany.org/article/835383

 

The belt images were

  1. Recognition of the LGBTQ: 6 stripes on the end

  2. The School Mascot – the Warrior – Facing west guardian of the Western Door. The Eye and gray beads in the feather are true wampum for 1650’s

  3. Tri-colored Trapezoid: Black, Red, Orange and Turquoise Tear. Murdered, Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. The Turquoise Tear symbolizes grief, yet hope. The Orange is the recognition of the Boarding School Children.

  4. Center is the Haudenosaunee emblem of the Five Nations.

  5. The Red Ribbon emphasizes the school is a Drug and Alcohol Free campus. Also supportive of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, Fight against AIDS and Multiple Sclerosis.

  6. The Blue Zigzag along the bottom is the beautiful Ohi'yo which flows through the   O-non-dowa-gah territory.

    

The Ohi’yo’s headwaters is in Potter County near the small town of Gold, Pennsylvania.
It marks the only Triple Continental Divide east of the Mississippi River. Three springs, less than a thousand yards apart will carry the rainfall to the Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay.

 

 

Reference:

 

Salamanca schools present Seneca Intermediate Wampum Belt:

https://www.salamancapress.com/news/salamanca-schools-present-seneca-intermediate-wampum-belt/article_0e2db60a-35c1-11ed-a052-bfde9b596540.html?fbclid=IwAR3iVZMH3-zU4U1ThJFnXbGanBvm53w__fq1R6I5G_k-PSu55tYXM2ib7so