WAMPUM AND SHELL ARTICLES 409 



united by a basal line may be the Six Nations, whose alliance is 

 sought. They are distinguished from those at the other end by 

 side pinnacles, which may be chimneys^ indicating their advanced 

 condition. This is partly conjectural, but would agree with the 

 supposed history of the belt. 



Fig. 269 represents a belt ascribed to the same period, but prob- 

 ably not made by Indians. It came from Willis N. Tobias of 

 Moraviantown, Canada, and is a white belt of 244 beads, or 37 

 inches in length. In the figure it has been folded more than the 

 last^ and has a width of ii rows or 2.75 inches. The large white 

 and purple beads have a foundation of coarse red twine. The two 

 human figures, clasping hands, show an alliance, but are not in 

 the usual conventional Indian form^ while the letters, I. G. S., point 

 to a European source. The former owner wrote to the national 

 museum: ''The belt is a good one and relates to the schemes of 

 the renowned Shawnee chief, Tecumseh. This is a companion belt 

 to the one you purchased from Mr Thompson, and is supposed 

 (there is no documentary evidence) to be the record of. a peace 

 treaty in which the hatchet is buried and the hands joined in friend- 

 ship between the tribes, who unite in war against the wigwams of 

 the white man. It is certain that these are records of the offensive 

 and defensive alliances formed by Tecumseh against the hated Long 

 Knives, or Americans." The letters, however, make it evident that 

 the alliance in one belt was between the Indians and civilized men. 

 These would refer to some prominent officer, and the writer identi- 

 fies them with the initials of John Graves Simcoe, governor-general 

 of Upper Canada, 1791-94. 



Fig. 270 shows a small belt whose history is now unknown, but 

 which is supposed to have belonged to the Mohawks. The beaded 

 part is 20 inches, or 160 beads long and is six rows deep. The beads 

 are quite uneven, but have the usual average length. Purple beads 

 form the ground, and on this are two very broad open diamonds 

 in white beads. Three short rows of white alternate with the pur- 

 ple at one end, and at the other are six rows of white alternately 

 long and short. The thongs are of twisted buckskin. These were 

 kindly photographed at the national museum to illustrate this bul- 

 letin, a favor gratefully acknowledged. 



