TONY GONYEA

Onondaga, BEAVER CLAN

“The idea and spirit of wampum is very important to me and the Confederacy as a whole. The...belt you see today is created from a clay composite replica wampum shell...a replica belt of actual wampum shell...the cost would be enormous.”

Two-Row Wampum Belt, 2014   |   Ceramic beads, deerskin, and sinew    |    NYSM E2013.74

“More importantly, the act of using real wampum could create a belt of actual authenticity and could result in the same situation we find ourselves in with museums and groups” that possess sacred materials. Using “replicated materials, we can share the knowledge without creating issues in the future.”

 

Gonyea maintains “an active role in the Onondaga Nation Council as a Faith Keeper with duties that include the creation of messages, still passed along on traditional wampum strings.”