Native American Art

Our Native American Art section will soon expand to include traditional and contemporary art categories for jewelry, paintings, pottery, beadwork, weavings, and regional artists.

Introduction

Native American cultures are known for their unique and beautiful artwork. Based on traditional elements and cultural occurrences, most Native American art represents the beauty and traditions of their culture through the artwork. Native Americans specialize in many different forms of art, and the art itself varies from tribe to tribe and throughout the different regions on the United States.

Some of the most common forms of Native American art are jewelry, pipes, dream catchers, moccasins, and beadwork. Each of these types of artwork are known to be mastered within the Native American culture and are bought by many people throughout the United States and even the world.

One type of art that the Native Americans are known for are their pipes. Tobacco, which is actually indigenous to North America, was a main source of trade for the Native American people. Because of this, many Native Americans took pride in what they smoked out of, and therefore the art of pipe creation was developed. The two most common types of pipes are the “peace pipes” and one peace stone pipes. Peace pipes are common pieces of art among the Sioux Indians while the one peace pipes are much more common among the Cherokee and Iroquois tribes.

Dreamcatchers art also forms of traditional Native American art. Dreamcatchers were originally designed to help children sleep better at night. The dreamcatchers were placed about a child's bed and was supposed to catch the bad dreams in its web. These dreamcatchers were made out of bent wood and string and had leather pieces with feathers hanging from the base of the circle. Now a days, many people view dream catchers as aesthetic pieces of art instead of a protector of dreams.

Moccasins, traditionally footwear that were created by the Algonquians, have become huge fashion statements in the last several decades. Now people view the finely crafted and decorated shoes as forms of art as well as forms of footwear. These shoes are decorated will beads, shells, and colorful decorations. While many commonly known Native American designs were originally created for practical purposes, they now are favor fashions and art work to many modern people who appreciate culture.

Reference: www.indians.org
Writer: Sarah Joyce