Wampum Vest

Hand spun, natural color dyed and needle knit vest. This vest was inspired by an Iroquois beaded wampum belt. Woven into belts and other articles, wampum served as a currency during the heyday of the fur trade, but its value to the Iroquois and neighboring tribes was more spiritual than monetary. Wampum, in reality, evoked the very founding of the Iroquois confederacy.