Why Are Wampum Belts Important?

Darren Bonaparte has just published a piece on the so-called Remembrance Belt. It is so-called not because the belt is discredited in any way, but because lots of names are attributed to it. Nevertheless, it is clearly an important belt to the people of Haudenosaunee.

What makes this and other wampum belts so important to Native Americans today? Many reasons, but for one, Native American identity is strongly reinforced by the belts. They are not just artifacts of the past, but portals to that past. Contemplation of the belts and the stories associated with them give Indian people the opportunity to connect with their history and traditions.

Bonaparte is an amateur historian or, as he calls himself, a historical journalist, who actively promotes historical understanding among the Haudenosaunee. One of the ways he does this is by visiting schools and other venues to tell the stories associated with historic belts. He uses replicas that faithfully reproduce the patterns of the historic belts. You can find out more about Bonaparte’s work from his website at Wampum Chronicles.

In the case of the Remembrance Belt, the essay linked above explores the conflicting oral traditions that are associated with the belt. But regardless of these different stories, this belt (and others) “have the ability to reach through time and connect [native people] on a very deep, personal level.” Although the Remembrance Belt means different things to different people it “can still impart knowledge to us,” says Bonaparte.