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The Great Treaty Wampum Belt.
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Image of a beaded wampum belt.

Credit: Courtesy of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

According to descendants of William Penn, this wampum belt dates to his first treaty with the Indians in 1682. The belt is an excellent example of the symbolism used by Indians on such occasions. The linked figures represent alliance between different peoples and the parallel diagonal lines represent "open paths" between them.

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