WAMPUM AND SHELL ARTICLES 389 



a white diamond in the center the council fire. In reading it, the 

 baronet held one end and the Indian chief the other. When the 

 latter spoke, he moved his finger along the white line. When Sir 

 William spoke, he touched the diamond in the midst of the belt. 



Heckewelder, p. 109, treats quite fully of the colors and emblems 

 of belts, and adds something on wampum as credentials, a character 

 which still survives. ''No chief pays any attention to reports, though 

 they may carry with them the marks of truth. . . But as soon 

 as he is officially informed, through a string of wampum from some 

 distant chief or leading man of the nation, whose situation entitles 

 him to receive credit, he then will say, 'I have heard it,' and acts ac- 

 cordingly." 



In the Relation of 1653, p. 2y, we are told how a New England 

 chief had his presents spread out, which were mostly of wampum. 

 Standing by them, ''he gave the explanation of them as one would 

 do of an enigma, touching the characters on the picture one after 

 another." Each had its proper meaning. 



Loskiel's account, p. 26, is much like that of Heckewelder. 



At certain seasons they meet to study their meaning, and to re- 

 new the ideas of which they were an emblem or confirmation. On 

 such occasions they sit down around the chest, take out one string 

 or belt after the other, handing it about to every person present, and 

 that they may all comprehend its meaning, repeat the words pro- 

 nounced on its delivery in their whole convention. By these means 

 they are enabled to remember the promises reciprocally made by 

 the different parties; and it is their custom to admit even the young 

 boys, who are related to the chiefs, to their assembHes; they be- 

 come early acquainted with all the affairs of the state; thus the con- 

 tents of their documents are transmitted to posterity, and can not 

 easily be forgotten. 



For a long time this practice has been discontinued, and the 

 belts were only produced to satisfy curiosity. In most ceremonies 

 strings alone were used, and the knowledge of the proper use of 

 some of these was and is confined to a few persons. Horatio Hale's 

 picture of the reading of the wampum belts was one arranged for 

 his convenience and pleasure, not a record of an ordinary occur- 

 rence. In fact treaty and war belts had nothing to do with modern 

 ceremonial gatherings. 



