Friendship Belt
Above are Haudenosaunee replica belts made by Ken Maracle (Cayuga Nation, Deer Clan) and a specially created Gasweh:da or Friendship Belt, made for the BtCC project. It was produced in the spirit of once again ‘brightening’ the Covenant Chain between the Haudenosaunee and the British Crown.
Wampum belts are tools of Indigenous diplomacy, living symbols of promises made by treaty between peoples. The BtCC team is highly honoured to begin this research project with such a powerful reminder of ongoing right relationship and alliance between our respective nations.
Watch Ken explain the idea of wampum and the meanings of the belt’s features. Photo images courtesy of Rhonda Maracle.
Research Programmes
Connecting Cultures
A collaborative project revealing how historic sites can position themselves as global crossroads, enabling multiple global publics to connect their lived experience with them.
Diplomacy and Treaties
International collaboration revealing globally significant cultures of diplomacy between the Crown, the Haudenosaunee and their neighbours in North America.
Digital Storytelling
Digital resources that involve the public, advance research, energise teaching, and drive knowledge exchange, built in partnership with the UK’s foremost research software engineers.
Political Ecologies
Timely interventions that examine the power relations between Indigenous actors and the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Globalising Archives, Museums, and Heritage Sites
Connecting significant national collections with their global Indigenous histories.
