Native American Art

Native Americans... Were the first people to live in North America. They lived in many different tribes across the land.

Why did Native Americans create Art? Native Americans artworks served a purpose: For example: *Blankets to keep warm *Pottery for cooking *Rock paintings to pass along stories *Baskets for storage

What Does Native American Art Look Like? Mostly neutral and warm colors Lots of geometric shapes Patterns! Often tells a story with symbols

Baskets *Were made out *Were used for of many different materials including grass, stems, and animal hairs *Were used for storage and carrying things

Pottery The Native Americans used clay pottery to hold water, store grains, and preserve seeds for the next planting season.

Blankets & Weaving Native Americans used cotton and wool to weave rugs, blankets, and clothing. They used many geometric shapes and patterns in their weavings.

Totem Poles A totem pole can be a symbol of a tribe, family, or individual person. Native Americans believed that the animals on the poles would represent them and guard their lives. Totem poles were carved out of trees and then painted.

Cave/Rock Paintings Native Americans painted symbols on and cave walls. These paintings told stories of families, traditions, and everyday life.

Sand Painting Sand paintings were created for the purpose of healing. Most tribes used crushed stones, flowers, and other natural items to make these paintings. The sand paintings were believed to restore people to health.

Dream Catchers Dream catchers were believed to”catch bad dreams while letting good dreams through the center. The good dreams would glide down the feathers to the sleeping person and the bad dreams would get caught in the strings of the dream catcher. The hoop shape stands for strength and unity.

Thunder Birds The thunderbird was considered a supernatural bird of power and strength. These birds were often found in Native American stories and artworks.