428 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



and a half circle in white. This was marked Onondaga. It was 

 purchased by me as such, but I now find it was a Seneca belt, and 

 Gov. Blacksnake held it." Fig. 242 is a white belt of six rows, with 

 three diag"onal bars of black. It is labeled a " hospitality or wel- 

 come belt — ^Canadian Mohawk." Fig-. 247 is entitled a " ransom 

 belt." " Could save a life if presented by the youngest unmarried 

 female in the family." It is a purple belt of six rows, with white 

 diagonal lines and open hexagons. 



Fig. 246 isi of much interest. It is nine rows deep, and has six 

 human figures in black, joined by a dark line. Midway is the coun- 

 cil fire. Mrs Converse obtained this in 1882, of Martha Hemlock, 

 an aged and prominent Cattaraugus Seneca, who had it for 60 years. 

 It has been called the women's nominating belt, they having the 

 privilege of naming the chiefs. This is now done with strings or 

 unceremoniously, but women's belts for other purposes are on 

 record. 



Fig. 172 is a Mohawk belt from Mr Holmes's figure, and was ob- 

 tained by Mrs E. A. Smith from the Mohawks. It is 2.6 inches 

 long, with an extreme width of 3 inches, or 1 1 rows. The design is 

 curious, and suggests one of the belts in Paris. From the center 

 it diminishes in width toward one end, where it is five beads wide. 

 The open white hexagons show that this was probably the original 

 design. A doubt is suggested by the loose buckskin thongs. It 

 may once have been symmetric, having the other end correspond 

 beyond the open central space. 



Walter C. Wyman, of Chicago, furnished pictures of his seven 

 interesting belts. Fig. 274a, he remarks^ " is called the Sir William 

 Johnson dish belt, sent by the Indians in Canada to notify the 

 friendly tribes of the existence of food at four points. Forts Stanwix, 

 Niagara, and two other points unknown to me now. Of course 

 all these points of information are fragmentary and dreamy, but are 

 as they came to me. There seems to be no authentic reading of 

 belts, and their mission is imaginary so far as any present day in- 

 terpreter is concerned." This is a counterpart of the Parker belt, 

 except in the number of hexagons and width, having nine rows. 

 In some cases the Fiv§ Natioi:;^ fi^ed but foiir of ^^ i^atjoiial fig-? 

 pres, as in this case. 



