WHAT IS ART Many people see art as a way of recording and presenting a story thought or belief Artists design or plan the look of a piece and then create it with certain materials Today artists may be hired by someone to make their art Many Native Americans don’t think of art like this Art is a part of life Art might be clothing food jars or religious pieces Art objects are to be touched and used Native men women and children made art in the past and still do today 4 NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT-ARTISTS WEAVING AND BEAD PROJECTS
When Europeans first came to North America many Native American languages didn’t have words for art or artist 5
USEFUL ART Native American art isn’t a single style Every community has its own history culture and designs Not all Native American groups make the same kinds of objects Some are known for baskets while others make pottery Some mastered masks while others are famous for blankets Most Native American art has one thing in common It’s used for something Some art is made to speak with spirits or gods Other art tells stories Pottery for cooking can be art too There’s no limit to art’s uses DID YOU KNOW Respect for nature is important in native art Haudenosaunee or Iroquois artists may speak to a tree before they begin carving or cutting into its wood 6
NAVAJO BLANKET 19th CENTURY In Native American art symbols are meant to show the spirit of their subject not what it really looks like Why Only the Creator God can make things perfectly 7
