Created from materials harvested in the wilds of New England, this belt was handmade by local Aquinnah Wampanoag contemporary artist Elizabeth James-Perry. She shaped by hand each purple and white quahog wampum bead, and also hand spun and dyed the milkweed cordage that holds the beads together. Wampum belts, made from Quahog clam shells, were used to commemorate important events, or to signify a treaty agreement between Native community and European colonist. James-Perry created and presented this wampum belt to the MFA to commemorate her installation "Raven Reshapes Boston." For this 2021 project, James-Perry planted a field of corn, beans, and sedges at the museum entrance to honor Boston's Indigenous history. Weatchamin, or corn, is an important crop tied to the origin stories of Northeastern Native communities. Made of wampum in honor of planting corn, this belt points to the importance of farming as well as clamming and fishing.



Elizabeth James-Perry is well-known Wampanoag artist whose work has been shown at the Peabody Essex Museum and the Bedford Whaling Museum and has been supported by the Ford Foundations. She learned wampum and basket making from members of her Aquinnah community. She holds degrees in art from RISD and in Marine Biology from UMass Dartmouth. Her practice is tied to her scientific understanding of sustainability, which she views as a native person as well.

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