It would be nice to see a comparison.

If you can please post one??

I will do a google.

Thanks

This is reminiscent of shell-bead belts used by various cultural groups in Oceania and Papua/New Guinea.

This is a real possibility. I tried wapum belts and struck out.

Now I will try Oceania shell belts

Thank Karlis
from Walter

I make wampum and clam shell beads by hand.
Here are some of the beads in various states of manufacture. The beads you posted look to be made from some type of clam shell.

Hello Dive dog

Have you ever seen wampum belts?? Are they a East Coast Midwest or West Coast item??

I would like to see similar images to help confirm that these could be wampum beads made into a belt.

Thanks for your reply.
from Walter

The beads I make are not in the traditional native style. I have attached a link from the Onondaga nation website that depicts wampum belts. The belt you posted does not appear to be of the same type of manufacture.
https://www.onondaganation.org/culture/wampum/

Hello Divedog

It does not appear to be of similar style.

I appreciate you sharing the link.

I will keep waiting for someone to identify this shell bead belt.

again thanks from Walter

have you considered the strips of ostrich shell-disc beadwork constructed in a similar threading pattern that are possibly traditional styles from south africa/bushmen, etc? are we sure these are shaped from mollusc shells of some kind rather than eggshell? is the threading fibre traditional to north american work?

Hello and good morning Stefany

These beads are for sure some sea mollusk/clam or river clam. They appear to be strung with cotton thread as opposed to some native plant fiber.

I know the thin ostrich/egg shell beads from Australia.

Please look at the many varied thickness of the beads.

I believe they could be from a variety of locations, but I just cannot find a comparison to match with. I will now try African shell bead belts on Google. Thanks for the tip.

I have googled Wampum belts/beads, Oceania shell bead belts, shell bead belts from Papua New Guiene sp??

Still looking for information and hopefully a BCN member can help identify. This belt has hundreds of hours into the making of the belt.

I will bring along to the Ethno show In Santa Fe on Friday??

If I get news I will post it.

many thanks for your thoughts Stefany.

from Walter

Hello Found the Bushmen shell bead belts on pinterest. Ostrich shell beads. Very uniform in thickness.

The way of stitching the beads together look very similar, but I would guess that similar stitching techniques could be similar as they are dealing with rows of shell bead discs.

Still searching for more info

from Walter

Not intended to upset your post. I was just confirming what you had posted about similar stitching and ostrich shell beads and the bushmen.
My pictures show no way ostrich shell. I am just learning about some of this stuff.

After you mentioned that I also looked for myself and I was glad to see that information as well showing on Pinterest a ostrich shell bead belt.

Unless Bushmen also used clam shell not related as evidenced by the pictures.

Thank you and have a great day
from Walter

this evening (i'm in UK) i also recalled the term "chatoyancy" like the satin effect seen in Tigers eye gemstone- perhaps this was being imitated in atlas glass?

I will take the shell bead belts to the Ethno Show Saturday and maybe someone can identify.

One dealer today said maybe Pomo Indian, his wife is Pomo Indian from Santa Rosa area.

I did not see a relation between the glass and the shell beads.

Help me if I am missing something.

Sincerely from Walter

Hopefully a I D on Saturday.

Well today several dealers in Antique Indian Art here in Santa Fe said it is a Pomo shell belt. From just north of San Francisco, near Santa Rosa California north to Ukiah and west to Clear Lake California.

I found a similar belt on the web site of Museum of the American Indian in DC in their online data base

https://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=Pomo+shell+belt

This was some interesting research today and it seems this is new material to most members of BCN I am glad to share what I have.

On a technical note the belt has 147 rows of 9 shell beads for a total of 1,323 beads. Many many hours. They all appear to be pumped drilled. Conical holes. The beads are slightly irregular in shape and in thickness as well.Great patina nice smooth exterior surfaces. Well worn beads.

I will now wait for the report from the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah California regarding the belt and it ethnographic use.

I was told the belt is very rare and I could only find one in all my searching. Museum in DC was only because I decided to look at their data base. It did not pop up on google.

I will now find some information about their tribal uses and share with the BCN

now we can put those questions to rest and thanks for BCN members input all of them.

sincerely from Walter Anderson