' WAMPUM AND SHELL ARTICLES 42/ 



Some additional belts in the state museum are to be described. 

 Fig-. 229 is a fine emblematic belt, with a wolf and black horizontal 

 bars at each end, and two men clasping hands in the center. It is 

 14 rows deep, and mostly of white beads. It has been called a 

 Mohawk totem belt, and was bought at St Regis, July 24, 1898, by 

 Mrs Converse. She writes: "Date unknown. Purchased from a 

 St Regis Indian, and known as the Wolf belt. Supposed to be a 

 treaty between the French and Mohawks. The center figures — 

 two men — represent the king and an Indian clasping hands in 

 friendship. The seven purple lines signify seven nations, white the 

 peace paths guarded at each end, east and west, by sachems of the 

 Wolf clan, symbolized by the purple animal figures. The heredi- 

 tary keeper of the eastern door of the Long House was a Wolf, the 

 Do-ga-e-o-ga of the Mohawks according to John Buck. The Do- 

 ne-ho-ga-weh of the western door was also a Wolf." The Mohawk 

 chief mentioned was a Turtle, but the Seneca chief is correct. The 

 Mohawks treated with the French, but were never in their alliance, 

 and the emblems are those of the middle of the i8th century. At 

 that time the western Iroquois were balancing between the English 

 and French. 



Fig. 234 is of 10 rows, mostly white, but with three diagonal rows 

 of three open, black squares. This is recorded as a " Huron belt 

 purchased from John Buck, the wampum keeper of the Grand River 

 (Ontario) Canadian reservation. Chief Buck said that the belt had 

 originally belonged to the Senecas of New York, and, previous to 

 the revolutionary war had been in their possession. The Hurons 

 were exterminated by the Iroquois in 1650, and, as the belt contains 

 braces, it is to be inferred that it was wrought for some time pre- 

 vious to the extermination of the ' gentle ' Hurons. This belt may 

 liave been an affiliation between the Hurons and some of their neigh- 

 bors, the Wyandots, Quatoghies, Neuters, Ka-kwas or others." 

 The Hurons rarely used treaty belts before their overthrow, but 

 were fond of them in later years. The belt, if Huron, may be as- 

 signed to their later days. 



Fig. 235 is a long and narrow purple belt of seven rows. Mrs 

 Cpnvfrse writes : " This is a condolence belt, with two 



