Wampum Belt 14 Row

14 Row Reproduction Clay Wampum Belt

This exquisite Clay Wampum Belt 14 Row will make a fabulous addition to your collection!  The crafter created this 14 row belt with reproduction clay wampum beads.  He used Smoke Deerskin lacing for the warp lace and the fringe.  The tomahawk pattern of this belt reproduces that found on a belt that is featured in an 18th century painting.  The painting depicts Sir John Caldwell.  He was the nephew of Lt Col. John Caldwell who served at Fort Niagara in the 18th century.  Sir John Caldwell returned to Ireland and modelled the clothing and gifts that his uncle acquired during his service in the New World, including a Wampum Belt with a tomahawk motif on it.

This Wampum Belt 14 Row measures approximately 70 inches long x 6.5 inches wide and includes about 5,600 beads.  The tomahawk motif measures 8.25 inches long x 4.5 inches wide.  10 inches of split fringe hangs from each end.  This belt is in new condition.  One of a Kind!

Native Americans who lived on the Northeast Coast created distinctive beads from the shells of the Quahog clam and Whelk snails.  They called these purple and white beads wampum. Crafters strung  early disc shaped wampum beads in simple strands.  When tube shaped wampum beads made from shell and glass were available, they strung them together with a loom and made them into belts. Crafters created patterns by using one color bead as the background and the other for contrast. They used some of these belts to convey messages of war or peace.  Wampum belts became symbols of status. Wampum Belts were used as straps for bags or worn as sashes.

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