392 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



plained in his fashion: "There," said he, **are the lakes, here are the 

 rivers, here are the mountains and the valleys that it is necessary to 

 pass. Here are the portages and waterfalls." — Relation, 1653. He 

 had meanings for all his other belts but they contained no figures. 



There has been a disposition to consider an existing Onondaga 

 belt as one presented by Chaumonot in 1655, but there -is little 

 ground for this. Had the one he gave at that time contained such 

 figures, they would certainly have been described. It happened 

 that Father Le Moyne went on an embassy to the Mohawks in the 

 autumn of that year, and was warmly greeted by them. He was 

 at once received with three belts and the next day had other rich 

 presents. "The first and most elaborate of these presents was a 

 large figure of the sun, wrought with 6000 beads of porcelain, to the 

 end, he said^ that darkness may have no place in their councils,, 

 but that the sun may shed his light upon them even in the night/^ 

 This is not expressly called a belt, but was probably of that nature 

 and wrought in some convenient form. 



Very few of these strictly emblematic belts were described in the 

 17th century. One belt received at Oneida from the French, while 

 Father Milet was a captive there, brought a response which stirred 

 up the colonial authorities. The Five Nations called Milet to On- 

 ondaga to write down the message they wished to send to Frontenac 

 with three belts. "The ist in which there are five black squares on 

 a white ground, indicates the Five Iroquois Nations, who have all 

 unanimously agreed to this embassy from the Iroquois to Kebec. 

 They, therefore, say by this belt: Here we are. Father Onontio, by 

 your invitation, on your mat." Rev. Mr Dellius translated this for 

 Gov. Fletcher, and the commotion subsided. In 1690 the last of 15 

 belts presented by the Five Nations at Albany had also the five 

 houses on it. It is probable that the Onondaga covenant chain belt 

 of 1682 was emblematic^ but no figures are described. 



There were frequent quarrels with traders, and the Iroquois often 

 made stringent rules against the introduction of strong drink inta 

 their towns. In 1721, many years after they had conquered the 

 Indians of Pennsylvania, "the five Nations had sent down a large 

 Belt of Wampum with the figure of a Rundlet and an Hatchet on 



