The Aquinnah Cultural Center preserves and promotes Aquinnah Wampanoag history, culture, and contributions on Martha’s Vineyard by documenting their past, present, and future. It has been providing cultural education and tribal engagement since its doors opened in 2005
Their newest exhibit, “Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America,” was curated and assembled by native artists and educators, and tells a story of Wampanoag resilience. The centerpiece of the exhibit is a new wampum belt, through which Wampanoag artists of today share their stories and aspirations. The exhibit returned to the Aquinnah Cultural Center for its third year on Wednesday, August 7, and will run through Sept. 8.
Wampum beads signify the Wampanoag connection to the sea and to life itself. They are made from the purple and white shells of the whelk and quahog that are only found in the coastal waters of the Northeastern U.S. Beads have been used for generations, woven into belts that have become a long-practiced tradition of artistry and storytelling. NaDaizja Bolling, the director of the Cultural Center, said that wampum and wampum belts are made to document history. “Belts could be used in some cases to make alliances or treaties with other tribes, and with settlers that came. There were also people who were very skilled in interpreting the stories on the belt. We weren’t walking from community to community with a book, but maybe with a belt, and a person who could convey the message of the belt, so it’s just our way of recording history,” said Bolling.
Each wampum bead is filled with memory and meaning by the maker. The belt is held by brain-tanned lace warps, and has developed into a remarkable tapestry of art, community, and tribal history. This piece was truly a communal effort, as many Wampanoag artists and tribe members came together and contributed beads to complete it.
Julia Marden and Jason Widdiss, both members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah, led the belt-weaving and beadmaking efforts. Andre Strongbearheart Gaines, an artist of the Nipmuc Nation, led the traditional brain-tanning process.
“The beads themselves are all handmade wampum tube beads. About 90 percent of those beads were made by Jason Widdis, who is an Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal member. He was the lead beadmaker on the project, but some folks in the community contributed a single bead to the project, some contributed 10, but Jason was definitely instrumental in making sure we had all the beads necessary to make the belt,” said Bolling.
The belt was left intentionally with room to grow. “You can see the warps; there’s an excess on either side, and that’s so we can continue to add to the belt as the story develops,” said Bolling.
This belt was created in honor of the Wampanoag leader Metacom, who was killed in August 1676, ending King Phillip’s war between the Wampanoag and New England colonists. The wampum belt Metacom was wearing at the time of his death is believed to have been taken from his body to King Charles II as a spoil of war. This tribal treasure is of priceless historic, cultural, and spiritual value, and although it has been traced to England, it has never been found.
“This isn’t the design that is on Metacom’s belt — I’m not positive that we know what was on it — but instead this belt has started off so far with a lot of elements that are essential to the Wampanoag creation story and ancient life,” said Bolling.
The belt includes depictions of a deer, a thunderbeam, a pine tree, a whale, and a turtle. These are all different themes or things that are a part of various Wampanoag creation stories
“It’s definitely a more contemporary version of what would be on a wampum belt, its pictures; historically wampum belts were much more geometric and simplistic, so this is much more complex, and definitely a contemporary rendition,” Bolling added.
The belt on exhibit is not meant to recreate Metacom’s, but rather help in the effort to find it. In 2020, the belt toured England for a year, raising awareness of the ongoing search for Metacom’s belt.
“Metacom’s actual belt is nowhere to be found. We know he had one, we know it did not get buried here. We know that nobody in our community has it, or pieces of it. So it just raised a question, and offers a lot of curiosity over where it could be, and what happened to it. Maybe by this belt touring around and getting in front of other people, maybe someday someone will be like, ‘Oh, that’s what you’re looking for?’” said Bolling.
The hope of Metacom’s original belt returning to the tribe’s possession is strong; however this belt signifies more than just a remembrance of Metacom’s lost belt. “It’s a reminder that Wampanoag people are still here, and are still writing our stories this way. We’re still practicing traditions of wampum making and deer tanning. We’re continuing to engage with our culture this way,” said Bolling.
For more information on the creation of the belt and its cultural significance, watch the video produced by Smoke Sygnals at bit.ly/ACC_BeltProject.
