BY CHRISTOPER JOHNSON, SENIOR REPORTER
KALIHWISAKS
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VIDEO BY CHRISTOPHER POWLESS, BIG BEAR MEDIA
The Oneida Tribal Belt readdresses the commitment of alliance between the Six Nations. This belt and seven original treaties were entrusted to the care of Elijah Skenandoah, a Turtle Clan Chief of the Oneida Nation, who brought it to Wisconsin in the 1830’s. Sometime after his death, the belt and treaties were found in a safe at the post office on the Oneida Reservation. Today the Oneida Tribal Belt is at the Field Museum in Chicago pending a repatriation claim for its return on behalf of the Oneida communities.
The six rectangles represent the territories of the Six Nations who are joined together as one nation. The diamond shape in the center of each rectangle represents their council fire. Reading the belt from right to left, the first rectangle represents the Mohawk Nation. The Mohawks are considered the Keepers of the Eastern Door, If nations to the East wish to address issues to the Confederacy, they must first bring their issues to the Mohawks, The next rectangle represents the Oneida Nation and their council fire followed by the Onondaga Nation and their council fie. The Onondaga Nation is known as the Central fire. All matters pertaining to the Six Nations are brought here. Next are the Cayuga Nation and its fire and the Seneca Nation who is known as the Keeper of the Western Door. All matters concerning the west are brought here before going to the Six Nations Confederacy. The final rectangle represents the Tuscarora Nation who was the last nation to join the Confederacy.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ERIC DOXTATOR, BIG BEAR MEDIA
BY CHRISTOPER JOHNSON, SENIOR REPORTER
KALIHWISAKS
PUBLISHED JUNE 6, 2019
CHICAGO, IL – Several tribal Big Bear Media and Museum staff personnel had an opportunity to view the Oneida Nation’s Tribal Belt June 3 at Chicago’s Field Museum. Michelle Danforth, Christopher Powless, Eric Doxtator, Leah Stroobants, Christopher Johnson, Nate Gerhardt, and Louisa Mehojah made the journey to the Windy City to view and photograph the sacred relic.
According to Oneida condoled Bear Clan Chief Bob Brown, the belt dates back to the pre-Revolutionary War period and made the journey to Wisconsin (then Michigan Territory) with the first group of Oneidas from their ancestral homelands in the early 1820s. The belt was in the care of Chief Elijah Skenandoa who refused to sell the belt for any amount of money. After Skenandoa’s death, his grandson sold the belt to collector Walter C. Wyman who in turn sold the belt to the Field Museum.
The group from Oneida made the trip to the Field Museum to view the belt as part of a Big Bear Media project which will commemorate the 200-year anniversary of the arrival of the Oneidas from their homelands in present-day Upstate New York.
PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY HEWETT
JAMIE KELLY – TEMPORARY CONTACT (Last updated 01/17/22)
FIELD MUSEUM
If possible, please submit your request 2 weeks in advance of your visit date so that the Field Museum staff can schedule availability. To view the belt, your group must comprise of enrolled Oneida Tribal members. Please inform any staff if you have special needs or requests; the Anthropology staff at the Field Museum are committed to providing visitors a safe and respectful visit.
Private spaces are available for ceremonial practices and quiet areas for reflection. Please let your tour leader or hosting staff member know if you would like time and space for private reflection. Photographs may be taken of the belt for personal use. You may bring tobacco or other small offerings to leave with the belt if you wish. Please bring tobacco in a bag so that it can be frozen for pest mitigation before it is placed with the belt in storage.
For personal safety, we encourage visitors to wear nitrile gloves when handling collections. However, descendant community members are not required to wear them so long as the following risks are understood. Chemicals such as arsenic, DDT, chlordane, and carbon tetrachloride may in the past have been applied to select objects for pest control or preservation purposes. Objects consisting, in whole or in part, of organic materials such as fur, hair, skin, feathers, and plant materials are more likely to have been treated with these chemicals. Visitors assume all risks and potential hazards associated with handling collections objects.