One of the wampum belts was black, the sign of mourning; another
was purple, the sign of war; and the third was white, the sign of
peace. They were beautiful pieces of workmanship, very old.
When Hiawatha left the Onondagas and fled to the Mohawks he
crossed a lake supposed to be the Oneida. While paddling along
he noticed that man tiny black, purple, and white shells clung to
his paddle. Reaching the shore he found such shells in long rows
upon the beach, and it occurred to him to use them for the
depiction of thought according to color. He strung them on
threads of elm bark, and afterward, when the great league was
formed, the shells were made to represent five clasped hands.
For four hundred years the wampum belts have been sacred among
the Iroquois.
Now Thayendanegea gave the wampum belts back to the attendant,
who returned them to Satekariwate, the Mohawk. There was a
silence once more, and then the chosen singer began the Consoling
Song again, but now he did not sing it alone. Two hundred male
voices joined him, and the time became faster. Its tone changed
from mourning and sorrow to exultation and menace. Everyone
thought of war, the tomahawk, and victory.
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