In this article by Angela Haas, she discusses why the wampum belt is a pivotal part of Native American culture. It’s a form of communication through the use of colors, shapes, and patterns which is shared and revisited throughout the community. I found this practice very interesting from an outsider perspective. However, I know colors and patterns do tend to create a meaning even without the wearer realizing they’re doing so. For example, the colors of our clothing and perhaps even the overall style, convey a meaning to the general public. Typically, darker colors like black, say that a person is reserved or unapproachable. In contrast, brighter colors or pastels tend to say that a person is open and sociable. We do this without even thinking about it. But for Native Americans, this coding was intentional. They deliberately designed the belts to store history.
Due to this, I agree with Haas when she says that the wampum belt is a form of hypertext. This is because wampum belts contain information throughout generations of Native American history. Hypertext is an online text that includes links which allow readers to jump directly to other texts/files by clicking. The wampum belt is also a form of rhetoric and not just a form of hypertext. Haas mentioned that: “wampum beads serve as nodes to topics,” which shows that each bead had a purpose. Haas continues, “…the sinew, hemp, tree bark twine, or other stringing devices serve as links or pathways to associated information.” Further proving the wampum belt is a form of rhetoric and hypertext used by the Native American community. In short, it’s incredible how centuries before modern technology, the Native American communities were using devices like this in order to communicate and share various stories.
Leave a Reply