Native Art of North America

North America has a wide range of native arts and crafts from the Inuit of the Arctic to the ancient civilisations of Mexico.

To simplify the areas of this large continent the rest are divided into the Inuit, North West coast, South Western, Plains, Eastern Woodland and Mexican groups.

Native art in North America was not created for its own sake, but out of daily necessity and for spiritual beliefs and practices.

The totem poles, animalistic carvings, sculptures and paintings all served a spiritual purpose. In each region the native people developed their own art forms based on the availability of materials.

Rock and cave paintings are found throughout the North American continent. The main focus of the art is spiritual.

Ceremonies, animals and mythical beings are depicted along with historical events such as the arrival of the Spanish.

Most paintings were done on carvings, masks totems and buffalo hide, craftsmen used symbols as it was not the practise to reproduce a likeness.

Women played an important role in the arts by using decorative symbolic designs, patterns and making trinkets.

Body art was an important part of ritual with symbols telling much about the wearer. Tattoos were also signs of beauty and used to identify clans.

Almost all used some form of jewellery and adornment such as the well known feathered headdress. Jewellery was fashioned from bone, animal claws, shells and wood.

Metal work was not widely practised, except in Mexico, but some used silver and copper. More recently metal jewellery has been designed from ancient carvings and motifs.

Traditional pottery made to store and cook food and carry water was moulded into shape, painted and then held over a fire until hard, as kilns were not used.

Baskets were woven with fibre from the local plants and animals, baskets were essential to daily life but the weavers made it an art form with intricate designs and colours with feathers woven in, and bells attached.

Arts - Crafts - Gifts - Posters

Art and products displayed here, plus a more extensive range will be opened in a new window so you can view them at your liesure and stay with Native Art World.

Native Art Gallery. Learn about native american indian culture & traditions, American Indian languages, arts & crafts, and native american history from the tribal perspective. Current events, news, stories & issues of concern to native americans. Education for non-indians on cultures, beliefs & perspectives of the indigenous native americans of North America.
Gallery Canada works directly with the Inuit artists of the Central Arctic and we offer a diverse range of stone carvings and sculptures, prints, paintings, jewelry and tapestries to satisfy the needs of all Inuit Art collectors as well as discriminating gift and corporate buyers.
Posters and Prints on North American native art and culture can be viewed here, just type in your interest in the search box on this page.