History of the United States in 100 Objects -- 17: The Hiawatha Belt
Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong
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Introduction
The hiawatha belt is a ceremonial, decorated belt about two feet long and weighing several pounds. It's made of wampum or cohog shell beads sewn with sinew thread on to a leather pelt. Its design dates to the fifteenth century, or possibly earlier. And this particular object itself may, in fact, be the original, dating to those early centuries,. Or might be a slightly later copy from somewhere between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. But also, if you don't necessarily want to see my political views, then you don't have to look at it.
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