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Making Treaties and Weaving Wampum: Communication Across Cultures Lesson PlanContent Introduction George Catlin traveled to Native American communities at a time of crucial developments in relations between American Indian tribes and the U.S. government. These developments are visible not only in records of written treaties drawn up by the government, but also in wampum belts crafted by Native American tribes to document these important agreements. Wampum belts were used largely by the Iroquois Nations, which consist of the Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Mohawk tribes and are also known as the Haudenosaunee League. The belts hold significant ceremonial and cultural importance as actual manifestations of the values and sentiments surrounding an agreement or event. Part I: Creating a Treaty Timeline Guided Practice Use the table found in Arlene Hirschfelder and Martha Kreipe de Montano, The Native American Almanac: A Portrait of Native America Today (New York: MacMillan General Reference, 1993), p. 57, which is paraphrased below. Create a timeline of treaties made between the U.S. government and Native American tribes between 1776 and 1868. Place the timeline in the front of the room to discuss the characteristics of each time period.
Independent Practice Ask students to break into small groups of 3 to 5 students to research events in American history taking place between 1776 and 1868 in textbooks and on the Internet in order to place U.S.-Native American relations in a larger historical context. Ask each group to report their findings to the class and have a representative from each group write the events on the timeline. Part II: Understanding Wampum Belts Guided Practice Prepare a mini-lecture on the methods of creation and significance of wampum belts in Native American culture. Inform students of the ritual and ceremonial importance of the wampum belt to native tribes, the types of materials used to make a belt, and methods used in assembling a wampum belt. Project images of wampum belts in the front of the room, or distribute individual handouts containing pictures of the belts. Visit the following web sites to gain a greater understanding of what wampum belts look like, how they are made, and their cultural importance:
Visit the following links to learn about the Haudenosaunee League and the Canandaigua Treaty and wampum belt:
Click on the following links to view Catlinís portraits of leaders of the Haudenosaunee League found in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum:
Independent Practice After explaining the cultural importance of wampum and wampum belts, ask students to write a journal entry in which they discuss a time in their own life when they have made an important agreement or "treaty" with a friend, family member, employer, or teacher. Why was an agreement important in that situation? How did they come to the agreement? How were both parties held to the agreement? Ask students to draw a picture of a wampum belt representing the agreement described above. Students should choose a design that symbolizes the most important aspects of the agreement. Have students share their designs with the class and discuss their choice of motifs. How does the wampum belt compare to the studentís original method for expressing the agreement? Does the meaning of the agreement change at all when expressed through a wampum belt? For more activities, see the following link for a lesson plan on making personal legends and wampum belts from the Kennedy Center ís ArtsEdge educational web site. (Note: This lesson is intended for young children but can easily be adapted for other age groups.)
Part III: Investigating Primary Documents: The Covenant Belt and Treaty of Canandaigua Independent Practice Ask students to apply the information gained from their research into treaties and wampum belts made between 1776 and 1868 to examine the Covenant Wampum Belt and its corresponding written treaty known as the 1794 Canandaigua Treaty (Pickering Treaty). Although this treaty was made almost 40 years before Catlin traveled to this area, it directly affected the environment into which Catlin arrived in the 1830s. Students may visit the following Web sites to begin examining the Canandaigua Treaty and belt, and the tribes involved:
Guided Practice After students have begun an initial examination of both the written 1794 Canandaigua Treaty and the Covenant Wampum Belt, lead them in a discussion highlighting the key points of the treaty and the key visual elements of the Covenant Belt. As the points are discussed, record them in the front of the classroom for students to see. Below is a list of possible items to highlight from the treaty and belt:
Independent Practice Ask students to write a brief essay in which they compare and contrast the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua document and the Covenant Wampum Belt. How are the messages contained in each source similar or different? Are these differing methods of expression indicative of any cultural differences? If so, describe these differences. Vocabulary annuity, cession, longhouse, reservation, wampum. Standards National Center for History in the Schools—Historical Thinking (5–12):
National Standards for Arts Education—Visual Arts:
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