﻿72 
  [.Assembly 
  

  

  In 
  making 
  a 
  belt 
  no 
  particular 
  pattern 
  was 
  followed 
  : 
  some- 
  

   times 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  three 
  fingers 
  and 
  three 
  feet 
  long, 
  in 
  

   other 
  instances 
  as 
  wide 
  as 
  the 
  hand, 
  and 
  over 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  ; 
  

   sometimes 
  they 
  are 
  all 
  of 
  one 
  color, 
  in 
  others 
  variegated, 
  and 
  in 
  

   still 
  others 
  woven 
  with 
  the 
  figures 
  of 
  men 
  to 
  symbolize, 
  by 
  their 
  

   attitudes, 
  the 
  objects 
  or 
  events 
  they 
  were 
  designed 
  to 
  commemo- 
  

   rate. 
  The 
  most 
  common 
  width 
  was 
  three 
  fingers, 
  or 
  the 
  width 
  

   of 
  seven 
  beads, 
  the 
  length 
  ranging 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  six 
  feet. 
  In 
  belt 
  

   making, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  simple 
  process, 
  eight 
  strands 
  or 
  cords 
  of 
  bark 
  

   thread 
  are 
  first 
  twisted, 
  from 
  filaments 
  of 
  slippery 
  elm, 
  of 
  the 
  re- 
  

   quisite 
  length 
  and 
  size 
  ; 
  after 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  passed 
  through 
  a 
  

   strip 
  of 
  deer 
  skin 
  to 
  separate 
  them 
  at 
  equal 
  distances 
  from 
  each 
  

   other 
  in 
  parallel 
  lines. 
  A- 
  piece 
  of 
  splint 
  is 
  then 
  sprung 
  in 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  a 
  bow, 
  to 
  which 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  strings 
  is 
  secur- 
  

   ed, 
  and 
  by 
  w^hich 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  held 
  in 
  tension, 
  like 
  warp 
  

   threads 
  in 
  a 
  weaving 
  ma'^Jiine. 
  Seven 
  beads, 
  these 
  making 
  the 
  

   iatended 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  belt, 
  are 
  then 
  run 
  upon 
  a 
  thread 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  a 
  needle, 
  and 
  are 
  passed 
  under 
  the 
  cords 
  at 
  right 
  angles, 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  bring 
  one 
  bead 
  Ipngthwise 
  between 
  each 
  cord, 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  

   next 
  in 
  position. 
  The 
  thread 
  is 
  then 
  passed 
  back 
  again 
  along 
  

   the 
  upper 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  cords 
  and 
  again 
  through 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  beads 
  ; 
  

   so 
  that 
  each 
  bead 
  is 
  lield 
  firmly 
  in 
  its 
  place 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  two 
  

   threads, 
  one 
  passing 
  under 
  and 
  one 
  above 
  the 
  cords. 
  This 
  pro- 
  

   cess 
  is 
  continued 
  until 
  the 
  belt 
  reaches 
  its 
  intended 
  length, 
  when 
  

   the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  cords 
  are 
  tied, 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  belt 
  covered, 
  and 
  

   afterwards 
  trimmed 
  with 
  ribbons. 
  In 
  ancient 
  times 
  both 
  the 
  

   cords 
  and 
  the 
  thread 
  were 
  of 
  sinew. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  belt 
  possesses 
  an 
  additional 
  interest 
  from 
  the 
  fact, 
  that 
  the 
  

   beads 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  composed, 
  formerly 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  celebra- 
  

   ted 
  Mohawk 
  Chief, 
  Joseph 
  Erant 
  Td-yen-dd-nd-ga. 
  They 
  were 
  

   purchased, 
  by 
  the 
  writer, 
  of 
  his 
  youngest 
  daughter 
  Catharine 
  in 
  

   October 
  last, 
  at 
  the 
  reservation 
  on. 
  Grand 
  river 
  in 
  Upper 
  Canada 
  

   before 
  referred 
  to 
  ; 
  and 
  were 
  afterwards 
  t.Mcen 
  to 
  Tonawanda 
  in 
  

   this 
  State 
  and 
  made 
  into 
  the 
  present 
  belL 
  In 
  this 
  form 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  most 
  convenient 
  to 
  preserve 
  them 
  as 
  a 
  relic 
  of 
  the 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  war 
  captain 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawks. 
  

  

  Wampum 
  was 
  also 
  put 
  up 
  in 
  strings, 
  from 
  two 
  to 
  three 
  and 
  some- 
  

   times 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  several 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  joined 
  together 
  into 
  

  

  