Native American art encompasses the visual arts and material culture of the indigenous peoples of North America. Native American art styles vary greatly across the many tribes and cultures that have inhabited the continent for thousands of years. Some common art forms include pottery, basketry, textiles, jewelry, sculpture, painting, and beadwork. The art serves spiritual, ceremonial, functional, and aesthetic purposes within Native American cultures. While Native American art was long dismissed and undervalued in the Western art world, its importance is now more widely recognized.
Origins and History
The origins of Native American art styles date back to prehistoric times. Archaeologists have uncovered decorative artifacts made by indigenous peoples dating back over 13,000 years. Early Native American art included items like stone tools, carved figurines, decorated weapons, ceramics, jewelry, and masks. Art served practical needs like hunting and warfare while also carrying spiritual meaning.
As Native American cultures developed across different regions over thousands of years, distinct artistic styles and traditions emerged. Common motifs and techniques emerged based on the animals, plants, landscapes, and beliefs important to each tribe. For instance, deer imagery was prevalent among tribes of the Eastern Woodlands, while Southwest tribes incorporated rain, lightning, and fertility symbols into their art.
When European colonization began in the 16th century, Native American art began evolving in response to outside influences. New materials like glass beads were incorporated into pieces. Later, tourism increased demand for Native American art like souvenirs, curios, and commodities. Some tribes even began catering specifically to tourist tastes. However, Native American art remained meaningful as cultural continuity and the preservation of tradition.
Common Art Forms
Pottery
Pottery was one of the earliest and most widespread Native American art forms. Native American pottery dates back over 2,000 years in some areas. Different tribes used various clays, firing methods, shapes, and decorative techniques to create unique styles. Common vessel shapes include jars, bowls, pitchers, bottles, plates, and pipes. Decoration includes carved or etched geometric designs, painted figures, and molded shapes like animal effigies. Colors come from natural clays and mineral paints like red ochre. Well-known pottery styles include Mogollon red-on-brown, Caddo engraved designs, Pueblo black-on-white, and Eastern Woodlands pottery with stamped patterns.
Basketry
Basketry is another ancient, common Native American art tradition. Baskets were traditionally made from plant fibers like rushes, yucca, willow, and birch bark. They were woven in varying patterns and shapes for practical purposes like storing food, transporting items, cooking, and collecting water. Different regions had signature basketry techniques and decorative designs. Northeastern tribes wove intricate, ornamental baskets with high market value. Northwest tribes like the Chilkat perfected luxurious baskets decorated with bird images and geometric patterns. Pomo basketmakers in California used colorful dyes, beads, feathers, and shells to create fanciful coiled baskets.
Textiles
Native American textile arts encompass a wide array of woven, embroidered, and dyed goods. Blankets, shawls, skirts, tunics, sashes, and belts were made from plant and animal materials like cotton, hemp, rabbit fur, and turkey feathers. Looms were used to weave geometric patterns and symbolic designs. Embroidery and applique techniques added colorful embellishments. Seminole patchwork, Navajo rugs, Sioux quillwork, and Anishinaabe beadwork are all acclaimed textile art forms.
Jewelry
Jewelry has been part of Native American material culture for thousands of years. Early jewelry included beads, pendants, and bracelets made from natural materials like stone, bone, wood, shells, and claws. Precious metals and gemstones were later incorporated. Silverworking became prominent in the Southwest, while Northwest tribes were known for their wood carvings. Intricate beadwork is essential to regalia and ceremonial clothing. Classic jewelry techniques involve silversmithing, engraving, beading, wampum, wire wrapping, and tusk carving. Materials range from porcupine quills to Italian glass trade beads to dentalium shells.
Sculpture
Sculpture is one of the oldest forms of Native American art. Early cultures produced small carvings, figurines, and masks made of clay, stone, wood, antlers, and other natural materials. The subject matter depicted cultural traditions, myths, animals, and spiritual beings. Totem poles carved by Northwest Coastal tribes are monumental examples of sculptural work. Contemporary Native American artists use both traditional and modern materials for sculptures reflecting their indigenous heritage.
Painting
Painting traditions vary across Native American tribes. Southwest cultures are renowned for petroglyphs, pictographs, and painted pottery dating back over 4,000 years. Sandpainting is an integral part of healing ceremonies in the Southwest. Woodlands tribes painted icons and designs on their pottery, clothing, and bodies. More recently, many Native American artists have adopted Western-style painting mediums like acrylic, oil, and watercolor to capture Native themes. Contemporary painting often combines traditional symbols and surreal elements.
Beadwork
Colorful beadwork is one of the most iconic Native American art forms. Glass trade beads from Europe were rapidly incorporated into Native American embroidery, clothing, and accessories. Beadwork frequently features floral, geometric, and abstract motifs in vibrant colors. Beadwork plays an important role in tribal identity and regalia. Seminole patchwork, Great Lakes bandolier bags, Iroquois raised beadwork, and Sioux pipe bags are all acclaimed beadwork styles. Contemporary Native American artists keep beadwork traditions alive while innovating new techniques and designs.
Regional Styles
There is incredible diversity across Native American art due to the continent’s vast geography and cultural variety. However, some broad regional styles emerged.
Northwest Coast
The Northwest Coast cultural area encompasses tribes in present-day Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. This region is known for its wood carvings, including the iconic totem poles hand-carved from old-growth cedar trees. Totem poles are monumental crests featuring mythical animals like thunderbirds and killer whales. Northwest Coast art also includes ceremonial clothing and baskets, masks, canoes, bentwood boxes, and jewelry featuring formline designs.
Southwest
The Southwest cultural region includes parts of present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Major Pueblo tribes like the Hopi and Zuni are acclaimed for their pottery, textiles, kachina figures, and silver jewelry. Navajo weavers produce intricate wool rugs with geometric designs. Pueblo artists also created petroglyph rock art and painted pictographs on canyon walls depicting spiritual beings, animals, and clan symbols. Sandpainting and colorful katsina masks are central to Pueblo ceremonies.
Plains
Plains tribes like the Sioux, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, Crow, and others were nomadic hunters known for their elaborate beadwork and quillwork. Clothing, moccasins, and accessories were adorned with colorful beaded and embroidered designs. Painted buffalo hides depicted warriors’ exploits. Ceremonial pipes, club handles, and shields bore quillwork and beadwork symbolizing important myths and events. Porcupine quill embroidery dominated Plains artwork until European glass beads arrived in the 1800s.
Woodlands
The Eastern Woodlands region was home to varied tribes like the Iroquois, Ojibwe, Cree, and Cherokee. Main art forms included pottery, basketry, stone and wood carvings, clothing, and beadwork. Woodlands artists used stamped patterns, incised geometric designs, and representational motifs in their work. Various tribes were known for their quilled basketry, birchbark scrolls, wampum belts, moose hair embroidery, and bandolier bags. Great Lakes tribes also crafted elaborately beaded and embroidered clothing.
California
Indigenous tribes of present-day California created unique art traditions. Northern California was home to expert basketmakers who crafted coiled and twined baskets adorned with beads, feathers, and shells. Yurok artists carved expressive redwood masks and canoes. Southern California tribes produced pottery decorated with black geometric designs on a red background. Kumeyaay bands wove baskets and did sophisticated pictograph rock art featuring shamanic visions.
Common Motifs
While there is vast diversity across Native American art, common motifs and symbols recur. These reflect shared aspects of indigenous worldviews, cosmologies, values, and traditions:
- Animals – Deer, bison, horses, salmon, ravens, snakes, buffalo, wolves, bears
- Plants – Corn, beans, squash, tobacco, cedar, sage
- Forces of nature – Sun, moon, stars, rainbow, thunderbird, lightning, whirlwind
- Geography – Mountains, mesas, volcanoes, deserts, rivers, lakes, canyons
- Human figures – Hunters, warriors, mothers, maidens, children, elders
- Activities – Hunting, fishing, agriculture, cooking, drumming, dancing
- Spirit beings – Kachinas, tricksters, thunderers, river spirits, little people
- Abstract symbols – Hourglasses, spirals, circles, stepped motifs, arrowheads
These resonant motifs tie together diverse Native American art forms across history. They reflect indigenous ways of understanding the world and secure cultural continuity.
Purpose and Meaning
Native American art is deeply meaningful. It carries cultural knowledge, values, and religious beliefs. Different types of art serve various functions:
Utilitarian
Pottery, baskets, textiles, jewelry, and tools serve daily practical needs. They are also vehicles for creative expression.
Ceremonial
Ritual art like masks, pipes, and effigy figures holds religious meaning and spiritual power. Art plays an integral role in ceremonies, dances, and healing practices.
Decorative
Elaborate clothing, beadwork, and motifs on functional objects reflect creativity, status, and cultural identity. Their beauty also honors the natural world.
Narrative
Oral narratives are depicted visually through symbols, figures, events, and landscapes. Art transmits cultural histories, myths, and legends between generations.
Memorial
Figures, monuments, portraits, and ledger drawings memorialize respected leaders, warriors, and elders. Art keeps their memory and deeds alive.
Economic
Certain Native American art forms have long generated income through tourism, galleries, and collectors. Some tribes rely on art as their main source of revenue.
This multilayered significance underlies the endurance and adaptability of Native American art over centuries. The art conveys indigenous worldviews through changing times.
Revival and Innovation
While colonialism and oppression took a major toll on Native American art and culture, the past half-century has seen an inspiring revival. Government repression like the Potlatch Law, which banned ceremonial arts, gave way to self-determination.
Many artists are reclaiming and revitalizing ancestral art forms that were prohibited or lost. Young Native Americans are also pioneering exciting innovations in indigenous art through new media and techniques. This balances traditionalism with dynamic adaptation.
Major inter-tribal gatherings like the Santa Fe Indian Market provide exposure and economic opportunities for Native American artists. So do tribally run museums, cultural centers, galleries, fairs, and community art programs. Important Native American artists like Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Kay WalkingStick, Kent Monkman, and Marie Watt are finally gaining recognition.
The trajectory of 21st century Native American art reflects resilience, cultural pride, creative freedom, and hope for the future. The ancient roots of indigenous art continue to nourish new visions and possibilities.
Conclusion
Native American art encompasses a rich diversity of traditions, styles, forms, and significances. From ancient petroglyphs to contemporary multimedia works, it conveys the uniqueness and continuity of indigenous cultures. As artists innovate within their time-honored visual heritage, Native American art remains vital and evolving. The spirit of artistic creation and self-expression endures as a powerful form of cultural strength.
