Native American Crafts

Native American bone chokers originally were made from bird legs. They were seldom used as just ornamentation. They were used as physical protection for the throat from a possible knife attack. The jugular vein is in the neck and is lethal if cut. They were also used in conjunction with physical protection as a spiritual protection for the voice. Because most birds are noted for the sounds they make or for their singing quality. The spirit of the bird could be invoked to protect the person’s voice from ailments, jealousy or fatigue.

From ancient times to the present, Native Americans have created baskets. In fact, basket weaving is one of the oldest crafts developed by man.

Native American Indian baskets range from very simple to elaborate and colorful works of art that took great skill to make. This artwork often involves secret techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation among Native American Indian mothers and daughters.

It is not uncommon for a well-crafted basket to contain over one hundred thousand stitches! 

The shaman’s rattle is a most sacred instrument. The rattle is believed to embody the sacred forces of the cosmos through its sounds, structural features, contents, and connection to the spirit world. The gourd rattle is described as the sound of Creation. The creation stories tell of the first sound, a shimmering sound, which went out in all directions; this was the sound of “the Creator’s thoughts.”

Silver jewelry can be created many ways. Pure silver is generally too soft for jewelry making, so it is combined (alloyed) with other metals. All the terms used to describe the various creation processes can be confusing. Here is a guide to sort it all out.

One look at the elaborate turquoise bracelets, engraved silver belt buckles and ornate squash blossom necklaces featured in “Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family,” and it’s clear that by bypassing accounting, Mr. Yazzie is giving the Navajo nation a much richer gift. The exhibition until early 2016 shows about 330 pieces of jewelry made by 15 members of the Yazzie family, with a focus on work by Lee and his younger brother Raymond.

The most popular jewelry styles from the Southwest are made by the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Santo Domingo tribes. While individual artists may make jewelry in a style usually associated with a particular tribe that may not be their own, these are the general, most common differences in the jewelry styles created by these Southwest tribes.

Indian fetishes are Southwest tribal miniature carvings that some say are imbued with spirit forces.Fetishes are hand-carved objects, which represent the spirits of animals or the forces of nature. From the earliest times in North America, the Indians have used fetishes in an effort to master the arbitrary and unpredictable forces beyond their control. The earliest fetishes are called Ahlashiwe or stone ancients by the Zunis. They were naturally formed stones that seemed to resemble people or animals, sometimes made more realistic with the features accentuated by a carver.

Whether woven by a Native American or mass-produced by American woolen mills on a Jacquard loom, the blanket is a constant of Native American life and it is inextricably tied to the tradition of trade in the Southwest. To this day, the rituals tied to blankets are part of Indian life from birth to death: […]

Whether woven by a Native American or mass-produced by American woolen mills on a Jacquard loom, the blanket is a constant of Native American life and it is inextricably tied to the tradition of trade in the Southwest.

As told to us by our elders, these fans are quite significant to the Native Americans. They are used in the Native American Church to sing and to pray with. They are also used in Pow Wows to dance with.

This story is told according to the teachings of Navajo elders. There are many others told by other tribes, but this is the way my particular fans are put together.The legends told to us about these fans are as follows:

Prized for their “down to earth” beauty and spiritual renewal, fetishes have long been an important part of Native American culture.

When a fetish maker prays over his created work, a mystical power is believed to be released which can assist him in finding a solution to his present problems.

Make your own paints..KEYWORDS: recipe for finger paint kids projects kids crafts homemade paint Here are a couple recipes for making your own homemade finger paints. Salt and Flour Finger Paints Ingredients: 2 cup flour 2 tsp. salt 3 cup cold water 2 cup hot water Food coloring Directions: Add the salt to the flour […]

Hopi silver jewelry… KEYWORDS: hopi silver jewelry, sterling silver jewelry, modern silver jewelry

Hopi silver jewelry is a modern craft that has existed as an art form only since about 1890. After World War II, returning Hopi servicemen were trained at a silversmithing school founded under the G.I. bill.

Hopi potters draw on a tradition going back centuries. The ancestors of the Hopi made gray utility ware as long ago as A.D. 700. The ancient potters developed black on white styles, black on red, and finally polychromes. In the late 1800s, outsiders began to appreciate the artistry of Hopi potters. This new demand sparked what has been called the revival period for Hopi pottery.

The Hopi call their ancestors, Hisatsinom, “People of Long Ago.” The public and most anthropologists refer to these people as the “Anasazi,” a word that has become popular in the general literature.

Early Hisatsinom are called the Basketmaker people. The Basketmakers were a hunting and gathering people who became increasingly sedentary as their reliance on agriculture increased. As early as A.D. 700, the Basketmaker people began making plain pottery.

Hopi Basketry techniques and uses.. KEYWORDS: hopi basketry uses for hopi baskets plaited baskets wicker baskets coiled baskets rabbit brush basket sumac basket coiled baskets second mesa third mesa hopi trays hopi plaques hopi wedding traditions hopi bowls burden basket hopi peach basket

Three basic techniques, plaiting, wicker, and coiling, are employed by Hopi basket weavers. More than one method is sometimes used in making a single basket, providing an array of visual effects.

Totems to Turquoise: Native North American Jewelry Arts of the Northwest and Southwest.. KEYWORDS: native american jewelry art of the northwest art of the southwest navajo jewelry hopi jewelry zuni jewelry pueblo jewelry haida jewelry tlingit jewelry salish jewelry American Museum of Natural History exhibit Native American jewelry for centuries has represented more than simply […]

Beading Loom Kit.. Shop for native american themed crafts. Make woven bead strips with this beading loom kit bead loom for making bead strips. This catalog page contains a beading loom kit.

Many winters ago the people received a gift called the talking feather. I will share with you the story of how this came to pass.When the call came to the young mothers in the village to take their baskets and gather the fruit and berries, the old grandmothers, whose legs had lost the fast walk and sure foot of the doe, were left to care for the young children. The mothers honored the grandmothers by giving them this responsibility on those days.

KEYWORDS: Zuni fetishes sacred and powerful fetish animal carvings Zuni tribe Native Americans bear medicine snake medicine horny toad fetish frog medicine hunting fetish coyote fetishes Lasiloo-Jim turquoise fetish Zuni Indian Reservation Gallup NM fetish worship AUTHOR: Valerie GrittonStaff Writer, The Daily Times FARMINGTON, N.M. — The Zuni consider the things least understood and most […]

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The drum has been significant to all native nations for thousands of years. It is a sacred item. The drum is man’s connection to the earth, and symbolizes the life force of creation. For centuries the drum has been used to amplify the voice and synchronize the heart beat of man to the natural rhythms of the earth.

In this article, you will learn how to make your own drum for little or no money.

Scholars have long debated the origin of wampum development and use. Anthropologist Lynn Ceci theorized that marine shell beads made their appearance as early as 2500 BC, but the finished product of tubular wampum did not appear until about 200-1510 AD.

Though some tribal members say they see no problem with the practice, others regard the marketing of dream catchers as another example of their culture being picked apart.

Do you know what makes a serigraph so special? Find out in this article.

An introduction to Hopi Basketry… KEYWORDS: Hopi basketry hopi basketmakers hopi artists hopi crafts hopi culture native american basketry puelo baskets hopi baskets hopi basket designs Hisatsinom Hohokam Mogollon cultures southwest baskets Hisatsinom-Pueblo basketmaking

Hopi basketmakers are some of the finest artists in this medium in North America. Today, while many Pueblo peoples no longer weave baskets, Hopi women continue a centuries-long tradition of basketry. They are also innovative artists, developing new methods and designs from traditional ones. Red, yellow, and black are the usual colors skillfully arranged to produce katsina, animal, blanket, and geometric designs.