Indigenous “Texts” of Inhabiting the Land

George Washington’s Wampum Belt and the Canandaigua Treaty

Authors

  • Philip P. Arnold Syracuse University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v6i1-3.277

Keywords:

Wampum belts, Native American treaties

Abstract

Wampum is symbolic, or iconic, of a long and enduring lineage of immigrant and indigenous relationships in North America throughout the colonial and into the American period. Wampum almost always represented co-habitation agreements for how diametrically different human communities—colonial and indigenous peoples—could live together on the same lands. A vivid example is the George Washington Wampum Belt created by the U.S. government to commemorate the Canandaigua Treaty of 1794. Vitally important for understanding this agreement is that wampum is a sacred and ceremonial material that has been utilized by the Haudenosaunee since time immemorial until the present day.

Author Biography

  • Philip P. Arnold, Syracuse University

    Associate Professor of Indigenous Religions, Syracuse University.

References

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Published

2012-06-27

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Arnold, P. P. (2012). Indigenous “Texts” of Inhabiting the Land: George Washington’s Wampum Belt and the Canandaigua Treaty. Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts, Cultural Histories, and Contemporary Contexts, 6(1-3), 277-289. https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v6i1-3.277