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Tom has been trying to post, but having technical difficulties. (I think our board is eating his cookies) He’s found something really beautiful and mysterious. It’s at this page at the National Museum of Natural History
There’s also an image of the ledger entry, showing it came from I assume a private collection of an Erastus Tefft in 1910. It’s in the ledger as Tutelo. I’ve written the contact email, asking why it’s listed as Monacan. Is there anything known about where it was found, at Six Nations, or in Virginia, how old is it supposed to be (it doesn’t look that old), and why it’s called wampum, since I don’t recognize any quohog shell in it.
At any rate it’s gorgeous. I think I know what I’m going to make next for my regalia.
HAHA Iam in !!
The collector Mr. Tefft has also donated many other pieces to this museum any one interested in these objects should feed thier minds and spirits!!
I will get some time and try to explain what I feel about this necklace,,, keep in mind that there are several types of wampum including early coins.. this here is called “disc” wampum . A very nice replacement is the Hawaiin puka shell neclaces that are very available in most five a dime stores.. look around you’ll find a good sub.
The ribbons are silk, and once again are obtainable this piece dates between 1870 and 1900, the red beads are “water melon” coloured a give away for the dates.
I’ll try and get more on this but hints at many other types of necklaces etc.. anyway for now I hope everyone enjoys this rare find
all the best
Thanx once again Linda Tom
Do you think that’s a double strand? About how long of a necklace is it? They have hishi discs at Wal-Mart. Is that similar to the Puka?
Does this look like any Iroquoian pieces you’ve seen? Or any other tribe?
Linda:
Found this on another Web site:
“The author discusses a Native American tribe called the Tutelo who are so similar to the Iroquois that he felt it appropriate to mention them. The only thing that differentiates them from the Cayuga is a necklace called a wampum. It is made from shells flattened into discs. They are very decorative and used in a Tutelo adoption ceremony. If a member of a Tutelo family passed away, the family members could select an outsider to take the place of the deceased. The outsider would wear the wampum during the adoption ceremony.”
Here’s the Web site: http://www.publicanthropology.org/Archive/AA1909.htm
Cindy
Linda:
I do not know, really. I just found the information while searching for something else. Is this generally the case when something is described like the quote I found? That it is taboo for it to be used as decoration?
Cindy
Well, I would think so. If this is a very special item used in a sacred ceremony it would be pretty annoying to see people glomming onto it for other, secular uses.
I’m really glad you found that passage. It makes sense, somehow this collector got ahold of one of these adoption ritual necklaces, without knowing what it was, or maybe not caring, it would all just be superstition to him. The Tutelo Adoption Ritual is still being done, to my knowledge. I have the book.
Hahaha. You “found this while looking for something else.” Uh huh. Definitely, we should not make this to wear to the prom. One of our Mischiefmakers has spoken. They are so good at hacking the ‘net.
This is Tom’s reply, who’s having trouble posting again.
The ribbons are offereings to the spirit of the deceased or to the guest during the redressing ceremony they ( the ribbons) were probably at one time made from hair of the departed possibly more than one person meaning that these were family objects representing more than one generation.
The ribbons have been used for along time in the Americas they have also found ribbon and lace in graves that are very old probably prehistoric.
Ribbons are essentially a small offereing flag just like the yards of cloth are during lodge ceremonies and “sun dances” representing offereings to the spirits and then back to the person a ” materialized prayer”.
I would say that these necklaces are sacred, as sacred as your Grandmothers family ring after it has been blessed in the Church.
I do not see anything wrong with making one of these but since you know what it is and understand its use then if you make one use it the same way… .
When a Japanese soldier went off to war he took a belt of cloth and went on to the street asking for anyone to take the threads he supplied and make a sewn knot onto the belt each knot representd a prayer, the same holds true here… if someone was very sick and rather then sending a card you chose to send a necklace or flowers with ribbons it would mean the same thing..
Lastly heishi is a type of bead that looks like short wampum, disc wampum is just that but having said that you could even use glass beads, remember that the words spoken while using wampum gave the words and the wampum an energy or power to the necklace; glass does not have the same quality.
I guess in this case the total object has the energy it is intended for , wampum and offereings even tho’ there is glass beads on this necklace I’d say that they are a type of mnuemonic aid, transmitting a message of it’s own quality , again this is unusual since glass and shell beads used together is a strange combination , something for you to think about when making something for yourself in the future. All the best Tom.
SACRED TOOLs are just that SACRED ,they should not be reproduced,they are not decoration.
sacred tools like rattles ,drums ,pipes, after being made will go through a ceremonie {sweat lodge} before they are even used they are brought into the sweat where a sacred medicine is applied to them.
you need to be careful there is an old saying if you play with fire you might get burnt.
I hope you all will not compare in the future a church service with a ring,to a very old and sacred healing ceremonie {sweat lodge},you all have the right to form your own opinion ,but I see ABSOLUTLY NO comparison.
The sweat lodge is very old more than 10,000 years it comes from the creater.
George
That item reminds me somewhat of a “bandalier” worn over one shoulder and if falls to the other side about the waste. Is it long enough to do that? Here the Southern Plains people make it out of mescal beans. It is 2 strings the same length yet connected at a point and is worn at pow wows, but as far as I know, only Tiah Piah Society (aka black leggins, aka warrior society) wear them. Maybe someone can explain it better. I have one and it was made my Buster Parker, a direct descendant of Quanah himself. But I would never dream of wearing it at a Pow-Wow unless I were initiated into the Tiah Piah Society. You can honor your ancestors who were warriors, and since my Dad was a WW2 veteran, I’d be eligible for membership, and I have thought about it . . . but those folks are serious and they are dedicated — you don’t just say “that’s cool” — “I wanna belong.”
I am sorry but I do not know its significance. But when I saw those beads, it reminded me of the bandalier. Local Kiowa/Comanche/Oklahoma Apache/Southern Cheyenne-Arapaho people here were exposed to Spanish Culture for hundreds of years so that is probably where the term “bandalier” came from — the Spanish.
Was this “Wampum item” for warriors only? What was its significance? Also I do not know what “wampum” is. Can someone explain it? I have never been accused of being afraid to show my ignorance. 🙂 If you’d feel better explainin’ it one on one, you can e-mail me privately at vhawkins@pacer.com. I know it was an Eastern thing, and my ancestors probably knew as they were definitely in the East . . . but they have been gone – in space and time — a long while. Thanks.
vance
Hello ALL
I’ll keep it short , the comparison is (for me) in the first person. that is; since I have been thro’ more than one ‘sweat”, sundance, horse dance, and several lodges and several other events; I can relate this article to something very sacred and special for the person that would have worn it.
As a person who has made pipe bundles for elders etc, I can state I know where you are coming from but remember everyone comes to the table with an approach all of our own arrival;
For the unfamiliar, how would I or anyone make a comparison between this necklace to a familar object someone else has ; certainly no one intends a slight or to make light of sacred objects, remember we are all still learning until the creator calls us home. All the best Tom
I like your post Vance
I don`t think you show any Ignorance by asking questions,real Elders will take the time and explain things to some one with questions.{when asked at the approiate time}.
you bring up some good points in your post,about the Bandaleir its only for WARRIOR SOCIETY MEMBERS.
I have similar concerns about the necklace, {the color GREEN is a healing color}{fyi,the color purple is a healing color to}.
but what do the colors represent are they for a specific CLAN I don`t know there for I would not reproduce it.
are the colors some native persons personal COLORS{we all have are own Personal colors},I don`t know so I would not reproduce it.
the bottom line make sure you know what you are doing,you can make a fool out of yourself and your tribe or band by reproducing sacred items and wearing them.
SHELL BEADS Vance there are several types of Shell beads
TUBE BEADS=they look like hair pipe,but they are made of shell.
BARREL BEADS=they look like small barrels,they are made of shell.
SMALL DISK BEADS= these look like a button,round some what,thin hole in the center.
Wampum BEADS= the wampum that I know of are small round shell beads.{the ones that were gifted to me are white and they have straight edges}
George
Well thank ya, George. I appreciate it. There is a lot of “cultural sharing” between tribes, and some people will and do wear things for which the original meanings have been lost — it happens. I don’t know what the solution to that is. I think people here are doing the right thing in seeking information as to the meaning of these shells and colors of this item.
You have taught me something I didn’t know about shells and colors, wa-do. I try to remember to share something when I ask for something, sort of like a trade.
Some of my ancestors, who once lived in the eastern woodlands and perhaps even on the Atlantic seaboard (at least near it, but I am not sure). But we have ended up here in the Southern Plains, where there are not very many big trees, and where it is a lot dryer climate. The only trees on the local mountains are cedars and mesquite. They are mostly aged granite rock piles. I am just seekin’ to find out more about where my ancestors lived and their lives, which are/were so different from mine.
I do know “a tiny little bit” about the topic, but it’s been my experience that “a little bit” of knowledge about something can lead to makin’ “very big” mistakes about it — gotta be careful . . . makin’ assumptions that aren’t true, and never were true, can be the end result. I think You understand my way of talkin about things, and haven’t misinterpreted me. Your concerns about this artifact and mine I think are the same.
Well yall’ve gotten my curiosity up now. I think I’ll do an internet search . . . this internet is so handy! 🙂
vance
Hello ALL,
Vance if you do a short search on the web you’ll find many references to wampum shell beads, usually made from Quohog mussels shell in the northeast, (probably due to thickness and color) and several other species through out North America.
I was looking at some materials from eastern NC and there were many references to this type of bead there including some images of some really interesting long tubular types that occur historically on the “Prairies” not plains.
Also there use of conch shells figure prominently here aswell since many of these were reserved for the hiearchy, why I don’t know perhaps because of the great task in obtaining these shells., I live in canada and several have been found up here the borders of course being a mute point back then.
Colours always come into play and there is a system that few people recognize in that they are divided into catagories in a vertical and horizontal complex, red and white used to be the colours of peace and war and copuld still be but they are also male and female, they call in the day and night and refer to the colours of energy that people will call apon in both sacred and secular uses.
The best way to help explain this is a concenteric cicrle inside is the personal fire next the family and clan fire outside of this is the peoples fire and lastly the NAtions fire, the energy moves in and out placing the vertical powers on this moves from stone and mineral through plants insects animals to man and lastly to the One who thinks with purpose.
Remember that faith is creation and even stones have faith that they exist in the form of stones.
I’ll have more on the necklace in the time to come …..
the ebst to All Tom
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