WAMPUM AND SHELL ARTICLES 397 



speaker, Teyazvarunte, produced " the great old covenant Chain " 

 of 21 rows, saying: " Brother. This is the Covenant Chain delivered 

 to the whole Six Nations by our late Superintendant in presence of 

 Commissioners from nine Governments, which we have kept clean 

 •from rust, and held fast in our hands." This was the conference of 

 seven colonies at Albany in 1754, when Lieut.-Gov. De Lancey de- 

 livered this belt to the Six Nations on their behalf, Johnson being 

 present. The chain belt was then explained in the following man- 

 ner by De Lancey: " This represents the King our common Father 

 — this Hne represents his arms extended, embracing all us the Eng- 

 lish and all the Six Nations — These represents the Colonies which 

 are here present and those who desire to be thought present — These 

 represents the Six Nations, and there is a space left to draw in the 

 -other Indians — And there in the middle is the line represented 

 which draws us all in under the King our common Father." Vir- 

 ginia and Carolina desired to be considered present. At a council 

 at Fort Johnson in 1756 the speaker held this up, saying: " Here 

 is the Covenant Chain Belt given to us by eight different govern- 

 tnents in the year 1754. We shall on our side keep our eyes upon it 

 and take care that no rust shall injure it, and it shall never be broken 

 on our side." An earlier chain belt was given by Gov. Clinton in 

 1746, along with war belts and belts of friendship. In the con- 

 ference of 1755 the chain belt was called the union belt. Johnson 

 ^ave another and different chain belt at the treaty of Fort Stanwix 

 in 1768. It was briefly described as " Belt of the Cov^ Chain 15 

 Rows with human figures at each end." A conference with the 

 Six Nations and some of their allies in 1759 made another great 

 l)elt necessary. After suitable words, Johnson " gave over the 

 Cov* Chain Belt, which was a very large black belt, with the figures 

 on it representing 10 Nations of Ind^ & the English." 



John Long in his Travels alludes to another of the great Indian 

 agent's belts. *' The wampum belts given to Sir William Johnson 

 of immortal Indian memory, were in several rows, black on each 

 iside and white in the middle. The white being placed in the center 

 was to express peace, and that the path between them was open and 

 iree. In the center of the belt was a figure of a diamond made of 

 white wampum, which the Indians call the council fire." 



