Munsee-Delaware First Nation to visit Wampum belt tied to their history

Later this month about 50 members of the Munsee-Delaware First Nation — located outside of London, Ont. — will take a trip to the United States to pay a visit to what might be best described as an old friend. 

But instead of visiting a person, they'll be stopping in to a Munsee language and history symposium in Princeton, N.J., to check in on a Wampum belt that originated in their community and is believed to be more than 250 years old.

"This actually is the first time in my knowledge where a Munsee item has come out of a museum and where our community has been able to see it," said Ian McCallum, a member of the Munsee-Delaware First Nation and a researcher of Indigenous art, language and history.  

"This is actually the first time it's been with its community in a very long time. It's going to be quite an event."

Although it's called a belt, the Wampum is typically worn around the neck, almost like a scarf, during ceremonies and important meetings. 

The belt is made with strands of hemp looped through cylinder-shaped beads made of quahog shells. 

It's become brittle and delicate over the years but McCallum, who visited the belt recently, said this hasn't diminished the power of seeing it in person.

"There are bits and pieces of the belt that are missing but for the age that it is, it's in remarkable condition," he said. 

Many aspects of its history aren't known. It's believed the belt was made to commemorate a treaty between the Munsee-Delaware people and King George III in the 18th century. 

In or around 1907, Munsee-Delaware elder Jacob Dolson gave the belt to Mark Harrington, an anthropologist and avid collector of Indigenous artifacts in the U.S. and Canada. 

In a statement that Dolson wrote to Harrington at the time the belt was gifted, he said Munsee-Delaware First Nation must have access to the belt "to borrow it for their use in case any complications in regard to their land titles come up."

The belt ended up in the collection of Erastus Tefft, a New York businessman and collector of Indigenous artifacts. Much of his collection, including the Wampum belt, was later donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. 

McCallum said there have been discussions about the possibility of bringing the belt back to Ontario. However he said for now, it will remain where it is.

"It's an ongoing conversation that we have at Munsee," said McCallum about the prospect of returning the belt to the First Nation.