Native American art is very different from European art. Native American art is a wide range of artistic practices by indigenous peoples, produced for many purposes. Many types of art are created and used within Native American cultures; the creation of art for aesthetic pleasure is an ancient human activity, but exact dating varies widely.

Description:

Native American Art

In this article we will discuss the following topics:

1. History of Native American Art

2. Native Americans and the Land

3. How to View Native American Art

4. A Few Examples of Native American Art

In the United States, Native American art is usually classified as Fine Art, while more traditional and ceremonial forms of art are grouped under the category of “craft.” This distinction is not made in Canada, where both fine and craft art are usually referred to as “native art.”

Native American arts have historically been defined as fine arts by non-natives and as crafts by natives. As the native population makes use of many mediums for its artistic expression, including textiles, carving and painting in all materials, jewelry, etc., there is not one all-encompassing name for all of these mediums. The distinction between fine arts and native crafts is not made in reference to their indigenous nature or to any absolute criteria; rather it is a social construct coined from European notions of what constitutes a work of art and an object that serves a utilitarian purpose. A similar situation exists in Japan with the traditional crafts called “Imayō” (今様) (“modern taste”) which are analogous to Native American crafts.

The oldest known pottery vessels in North America—over 20,000 years old—were discovered in Fort Rock Cave in Oregon. They were made from local clay and show evidence of modification by stone tools. In South America, archaeologist

At the turn of the 20th century, Native American art was still in its infancy and was not as established as it is today. Prior to this time, there were no major cities with a market for Native American art. The art market for Native Americans was mostly limited to tourists and collectors who traveled to reservations in order to buy hand crafted goods directly from the reservation’s maker.

With the exception of a few well-known artists, such as A.G. Goodridge and Oscar Howe, most artists remained anonymous and sold their work at a local level. The known artists of this period were those who had received formal training in an Eastern school or those who were able to travel outside of their home communities and sell their art to a wider audience.

In 1905, Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania began offering arts classes as part of its academic curriculum that emphasized the use of traditional materials and techniques. This approach became known as “Carlisle Style” which was defined by strong linear designs with flat areas of color, black outlines and heavy texture. By incorporating these elements into their work, students were able to compile portfolios that could be sent out for sale. In doing so, they became some of the first Native American artists whose work was widely recognized.*

For a child, the Native American art is very attractive. The children enjoy the art work very much. There are many ways in which native Americans use their art work.

Some of their wooden carvings of animals and birds are used as toys for children and they are played with extensively. Some of the Native American dolls are also used by the children as toys.

The Native American art has also made its way into the world of fashion and clothing. Their fabrics are very famous in the world market. Many people have found it to be very attractive and have bought it for their everyday clothes or other uses. Their art works are also used to adorn the walls of offices and homes.

The Native American artists who make such appealing items are mostly professionals who have been taught this craft from childhood. They go through a lot of training before they master this art and make these attractive products that we see everywhere today in different forms including clothing and fabric, wall hangings, jewelry, shoes, etc.

The most appealing aspect about Native American art is that every item has its own story to tell about the culture of our ancestors and about their traditions, customs, lifestyle etcetera.*

It is not surprising that the development of art in the Americas has been a long and complex process. The first inhabitants of the continent came to it from Asia during the last Ice Age, about twelve thousand years ago, and for the next ten thousand years developed a culture which was advanced in some respects but also very simple. Then came another migration, from Siberia, which eventually brought to America all the major types of modern man.

The new immigrants were hunters who followed herds of game across the frozen Bering Strait separating Asia from America. As they spread southward over the continent they adapted their hunting techniques and their tools to the animals they found there. For thousands of years they moved across North America in all directions, hunting bison in huge herds over much of what is now Canada and the United States, taking smaller game in Central America and Peru, and sealing or harpooning fish off the coasts of what are now Alaska, Canada and Chile.

As these hunters moved southward, they encountered different climates and new types of food supply. On reaching Panama they entered a wide land mass that was then linked to South America by a strip of low-lying land which has since been inundated by rising sea levels. This mass is one of two great divisions of territory known as

In their spiritual life and worship the Native Americans made extensive use of art. The art served as a link between men and the spirit world. It was believed that the spirits of all things animated and inanimate could communicate with man through the various objects they had created. Through these things they could be approached, appeased, and even persuaded to do certain things on behalf of man.

We shall study now some of the religious function of Native American art as it applies to different tribes.

The Eskimo peoples used masks for their spirit dances which were held in spring to insure an abundant supply of food during the coming winter months. These masks were carved from wood or ivory, often being endowed with magical powers derived from the supernatural power of animals or birds whose characteristics they represented. They were worn over the face by an actor who personified some deity or mythical character. Some masks were placed on a pole before a village while others were mounted on high poles from which their awesome appearance could be seen from afar by any enemy approaching from land or sea.

The several tribes of Indians in California had a wide variety of basketry for utilitarian purposes such as gathering acorns, storing seeds, etc., but there was also special basket making for ritualistic purposes connected with worship and song. In

The first Native Americans arrived in North America around 13,000 BC during the last ice age. They hunted large animals like mastodons and mammoths with their stone weapons.

When the Ice Age ended, Native Americans moved into warmer areas and began to farm. Corn (maize), beans, squashes, and potatoes were grown.

Native American art was influenced by its surroundings. The land, rivers, and plains inspired many of the designs of their pottery. Their art also reflected their culture. They used animal skins to make clothing and decorated their homes with animal horns and bones. The Great Plains were dotted with tepees made of buffalo hides sewn together with sinew.

The Iroquois people created the first written form of Native American poetry called wampum belts. A wampum belt was a long belt made from shell beads strung on a string. By using different colored shells, they could create different patterns that told stories or described important events in their history.