[PEN-L:3123] Re: fwd: Wampum

[Rosser Jr, John Barkley]

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Date: Tue, 09 Feb 1999 13:29:18 -0500
From: Stephanie Ann Bell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: fwd: [PEN-L:3038] Wampum
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To: POST-KEYNESIAN THOUGHT <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

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John Henry is off PKT, so i sent him the 'wampum' post.  here's his
response:

Wampum was (were) "story-telling" belts. The stones/shells (size,
order, color) when properly interpreted allowed those affected to recall
various agreements, events, etc. that were important in the tribal
history. In the Iroquois Confederacy, they were also made and presented
at the conclusion of various discussions among the different tribes.
THese signified both agreement and commitment to honor that agreement.
Or, as one sachem said, "This belt preserves my words."

Possibly (though I don't know) belts were made and GIVEN (note
emphasis) as symbols of a successful trade, but they themselves would
never be traded as long as they were still the history books of the
tribe. 

It is probable that once a propertied society impinged on the Indians,
these belts became converted into money but I don't know the process
(nor does anyone else). We could probably speculate.

P.S. I saw some beauties in an Iroquois museum we saw in the
Adirondacks - including the one the Iroquois gave to George Washington
for some reason. (He was known to the Iroquois as "Destroyer of
Villages" so I don't know why they would give him a belt.) 

Stephanie Bell


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-- 
Rosser Jr, John Barkley
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