Two Row Wampum in the News

Categories: Wampum

Author

Paul Andrew Otto

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Categories: Wampum

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Wampum belts, when they include both purple and white shells, are crafted with designs that convey particular messages. Sometimes these patterns are unique; other times they are recognizable designs related to common relationship metaphors that recur throughout wampum’s history. One such pattern is the two row design.

Rick Monture and Two Row

Rick Monture and a Two Row replica belt.

But while many two row belts have existed, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) revere a long-standing tradition–the Kaswentha–and its associated belt, the Two Row Wampum. The belt signifies the agreement of the Iroquois and Euro-Americans to travel parallel but non-interfering paths of friendship. Many native people and some scholars date the origins of this tradition to 1613 while others believe the evidence is stronger for a later date.

In either case, the tradition remains an important one, and the Iroquois people celebrate this tradition and appeal to the long-standing agreement as a basis for their sovereign rights in their traditional homelands.

As noted here, the Six Nations are hosting a Two Row commemoration event this summer.