Featured Wampum #5: Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt (Swadogwa’shä:d (Seneca) / Skakare:tshera (Mohawk)

Narrated text:

“This wampum belt depicts our relationship to the medicines and sustenance that the Mother Earth provides. Nature is viewed as large Dish from which we gain nourishment and secure our well-being.

The purple figure in the centre of this wampum represents the Dish, and the white rectangle within the Dish represents a roasted beaver tail, a favored food.

We all have an equal right to utilize what is within the Dish maintain the health of our families. We were instructed to only take what we need, not to waste the resources, and to show visible and genuine respect for the integrity of the Great Sacred Web of Life by keeping the Dish clean.”

Click the centre of the Wampum Belt to learn about The Rules of the Shared Dish

• Take only what is needed. Don’t horde.
• Leave some for others. Don’t take the first medicine or food you come across.
• Keep the Dish Clean. Don’t waste what the Dish offers. Leave your harvesting camp tidy.
• Show respect and gratitude for the Dish and give thanks daily.