Identifying the origins of Native American art can be tricky. No written record existed before European settlers arrived in North America. We know through oral tradition that many Native arts go back centuries before trade with Europe began. Most tribes did not have a word meaning "art." Instead, Native Americans used the concept of effectiveness to judge aesthetic value. Most Native art serves a function. Artisans used vision quests to discover the symbolic forms that decorate these objects.
Most Native American arts served a purpose. Some had menial functions: baskets, clothing, pouches and blankets played roles in filling tangible needs. Others kept track of histories, serving as visual libraries where no written language was available. These included totem poles, beaded belts and storyteller necklaces. Even artifacts made for spiritual reasons had a function. Sandpaintings played a role in healing; masks were used in ceremonial dances. These created bridges between the seen and the unseen.
Native American carvings serve as records of tribal history.
Pacific Northwest tribes from southern Alaska to Washington have been making totem poles for centuries. The artist uses one cedar branch or trunk. Originally carried or placed inside, totem poles grew larger in the 1800s, when European traders introduced new tools.
Farther north, Alaskan Inuit carved wooden ceremonial masks. Iroquois and Cherokee tribes also made wooden masks. Zuni and Navajo artisans crafted stone storyteller necklaces, while the southwestern Hopi created cottonwood Kachina dolls.
Native American tradition does not include painting as we know it today. For most tribes, painting decorated objects or land formations.
Navajo medicine men used sandpainting as a method of healing. Grinding powder from corn, petals, charcoal and rocks provided a range of colors. During the creation of a sandpainting, the medicine man chanted prayers. Genuine sandpaintings represent prayers and are destroyed upon completion. Traditionally, sandpaintings that survive beyond the healing ceremony embody evil as manifestations of unanswered prayers.
As the popularity of Native American art increases, imitations increase. In 1990, the U.S. government moved to protect consumers and Native American artisans from fakes. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act makes it illegal to claim an object is Native American Indian unless it was created by a recognized member of a Native American tribe. As a consumer, you have a right to ask for a written statement of authenticity when purchasing Native American art.