“The dominant culture tells us that we are supposed to be ashamed of our native art,” said Sun Bear. “They tell us that our art is not as good as the art of the dominant culture, but they never show us any proof of this. They say that we should learn from the European models, but they don’t tell us what is wrong with our traditional ways.”

“Our traditional ways are still here,” he continued. “Many Indian people still use them and believe in them. We still respect our elders and honor the earth. Our spirituality is part of who we are; it doesn’t change because we have a different religion.”

Sun Bear’s argument is borne out by most Indian artists, who continue to draw their inspiration from their own traditions. The dream catcher is still used by many Indians as protection against bad dreams, and the medicine wheel is still used as an aid to meditation. Many Native American artists say they can find no more powerful way to express themselves than through their own traditions.

“As an artist, I find myself going back time and time again to my heritage for sources of inspiration,” says Bill T. Jones, a Cherokee artist from Oklahoma whose work has been shown in galleries across the country. “Before I became involved in contemporary art

When one thinks of Indian art, the first thing that comes to mind is the beautiful and colorful beadwork. Contrary to popular belief, Indians did not use beads for money. To the contrary, they used shells and seeds primarily for decoration.

In fact, beads are a relatively new form of Native American art. The oldest form of Indian art was pictographs or petroglyphs, rock carvings found throughout North America. Over time, these drawings were covered over by later inhabitants with similar symbols and pictures. It wasn’t until the Spaniards invaded the New World that Europeans saw Indian art in its true form: clothing made of feathers and skins; jewelry made from shells and bones; pottery decorated with intricate designs; pottery used for cooking food; weapons such as bows made from wood; baskets woven from plant fibers; and tools used for hunting animals such as spears and arrows.

The Europeans’ fascination with American Indian paintings began when Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492. It continued when Hernando de Soto landed on Florida’s coast in 1539. In 1540 De Soto led an expedition into Georgia where he met a group known as the Mound Builders who were still creating earthworks of huge mounds. These structures were made

When the European settlers arrived, they found the Native Americans living in a wide range of styles and traditions. The Europeans were fascinated by the unfamiliar art forms and began to collect Native American artifacts. This curiosity fueled the first artist-Indian trade, which led to the establishment of trading posts, where Native Americans could sell their crafts.

The Europeans who came to America brought with them their own artistic traditions, which they taught to the native people they encountered. However, many of these influences have been overshadowed by more famous European artists who spent time in America during their careers. Indian art demonstrated a wide range of influences from diverse cultures and has emerged as one of the most popular and sought-after American art forms.

Artists from many different tribes have been influenced by Native American art. The Iroquois, or Haudenosaunee, are a Native American tribe who live in the northeast United States and Canada. They have a long history of creating beautiful artwork that was influenced by other tribes. Today their artwork is called the “Haudenosaunee style” and many artists have created pieces in this style.

Where did the influence come from? The Iroquois combine their own artistic traditions with those of other tribes, such as the Algonquian, Huron and Wabanaki. There has been a long history of warfare between the Iroquois and other tribes, but also much cultural exchange.

The Algonquin name for the Iroquois translates into English as “snakes”, which they called them because of an old story about an evil serpent spirit that had plagued them. The Iroquois have several tattoo symbols that represent this spirit. These symbols were borrowed by other tribes, such as the Huron, who in turn adopted aspects of the Iroquois culture due to their location between them and European settlers.

Early American art was greatly influenced by the art of the native Americans. As settlers moved west, they encountered people whose decorative arts were strikingly different from their own. The rediscovery of these indigenous arts came at a time when Americans were not only questioning their heritage, but also exploring the possibilities of creating a new national identity.

Native American arts and crafts had an influence on American art that has lasted through today. According to Will Rogers, “It is all right to copy anything that is good, but it is not all right to copy anything that is bad.”

Artists like Thomas Cole and George Catlin drew inspiration from the paintings and crafts of the Indians, along with many other early American artists. As Charles Burchfield stated in his essay “The Indian and the White Man”: “I believe that it was a fortunate thing for me that I began my career knowing nothing about painting or about any of the traditions of art.”

Human societies have always been marked by cultural borrowing and exchange; this was especially true in early America when communication between cultures was limited. The arts of the Native Americans helped to form an identity for early Americans as they struggled with questions of national and ethnic origin while forging a new nation.

Native American art gives a lot of people the impression that American Indians were primitive, but the opposite is true. They were inventive in art styles and techniques, and they created works that stood out in their own society and in ours.

We tend to think of native American art as being only in the form of sculptures and baskets, but paintings were also important. Many tribes created ceremonial masks or other items using pigments made from minerals and plant dyes. These pigments were often mixed with animal fats, which made them waterproof and allowed them to be painted on hides or stretched over wooden frames.

Native Americans also had great skill at carving wood. This was probably influenced by the fact that many tribes lived near rivers and needed to build canoes for travel. Hides were used for clothing, so it might seem that wood would get little respect, but this was not true. Carving cedar bark was a way to show wealth because it required skill and access to expensive tools like knives and chisels.

According to legend, the Native Americans who lived on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, in what is now Canada, were visited by a stranger one day. The man was dressed in white and spoke another language. He said he was an ambassador from across the sea and wanted to trade for furs. He told them that he would return with more goods and would build a house where they could live while they traded. The following summer the stranger returned, bringing baskets full of beads, mirrors and knives made of steel. The natives were delighted with the new goods and welcomed the stranger to their village.

The next morning when they awoke, the stranger and all his goods were gone. The villagers searched for weeks but never found any trace of him or his ship. They thought he was a spirit and considered themselves blessed by his visit. From that day forward, these natives became great traders, traveling as far as Florida to exchange their furs for ornaments from Europe.

The name of this legendary figure was Hiawatha, which means “he makes men hew.” In 1855 when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his poem about Hiawatha, it became one of the most popular American poems ever written. Longfellow’s romantic story about