Wampum Belt Seed Bead Black

Seed Bead Wampum Belt with Hiawatha Belt design

This Wampum Belt Seed Bead Black is made with Seed Beads rather than Wampum Beads. The crafter used glass Seed Beads in Black and White to recreate a classic Hiawatha Belt design.  He wove the belt on string.

This handmade glass bead Wampum Belt measures 17 1/4  inches long x 2.5 inches wide. The string fringe measures about 7 inches long.  You can use this Seed Bead Wampum Belt as a beaded strip for clothing or accessories or add it to you beadwork collection.   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.

Shop for more Wampum Belts

Read about Eastern Woodlands Jewelry & Accessories

Watch our YouTube Video on How to Use a Bead Loom