5 months ago
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Posted On: June 15th 2026, 12:00 pm
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The Two Row Wampum (or Guswenta) is one of the oldest and most significant foundational treaties between Indigenous peoples and European settlers in North America. Originating in 1613 between the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and the Dutch, it outlines a mutual agreement for sovereign, peaceful coexistence without interference or assimilation. The agreement is physically recorded using a wampum belt made of purple and white quahog shell beads.
The Haudenosaunee view the Two Row Wampum not just as a historical event but as a living treaty. It forms the conceptual basis for all of their subsequent treaties with European and North American governments, including the Covenant Chain with the British and the Treaty of Canandaigua with the United States.
Mind also that the entire structure of United "States" government is based on the leading example of the Haudenosaunee. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known historically as the Iroquois Confederacy or League of Five Nations, is a historic alliance of six Indigenous nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. They are located primarily in present-day New York state, Ontario, and Quebec. Often recognized as the oldest living participatory democracy on Earth, the Confederacy is celebrated for its matriarchal governance and foundational Great Law of Peace.
This Two Row Wampum belt replica is made by the Native American artist and beader @cherylshenandoah, who is based in Syracuse, NY. It is the first collaboration in this series of boxes. I intend to collaborate a lot more with women, specifically, and continue to explore how a female perspective on remembrance, protest, riots, care, equality, and justice can engage with this body of work.
"Riot Box (Wampum)" wood, glass, stain, two-row wampum belt, copper, 9 x 4 x 11in (2026)
#art #readymade #sculpture #nativeamerican
The Haudenosaunee view the Two Row Wampum not just as a historical event but as a living treaty. It forms the conceptual basis for all of their subsequent treaties with European and North American governments, including the Covenant Chain with the British and the Treaty of Canandaigua with the United States.
Mind also that the entire structure of United "States" government is based on the leading example of the Haudenosaunee. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known historically as the Iroquois Confederacy or League of Five Nations, is a historic alliance of six Indigenous nations: the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. They are located primarily in present-day New York state, Ontario, and Quebec. Often recognized as the oldest living participatory democracy on Earth, the Confederacy is celebrated for its matriarchal governance and foundational Great Law of Peace.
This Two Row Wampum belt replica is made by the Native American artist and beader @cherylshenandoah, who is based in Syracuse, NY. It is the first collaboration in this series of boxes. I intend to collaborate a lot more with women, specifically, and continue to explore how a female perspective on remembrance, protest, riots, care, equality, and justice can engage with this body of work.
"Riot Box (Wampum)" wood, glass, stain, two-row wampum belt, copper, 9 x 4 x 11in (2026)
#art #readymade #sculpture #nativeamerican
Comments (3)
5 months agocherylshenandoah
Nyaweรฑha (Thank you) for this collaboration and for sharing the story of the Two Row Wampum. I am honored to have contributed and to be part of a collaboration that encourages conversation about sovereignty, justice and the relevance of Indigenous knowledge. ๐
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