Cliff-dwellers; Indians of North America -- Southwest, New; Pueblo Indians; Implements, utensils, etc.; Anasazi
The Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) lived in the present-day Four Corners region, which includes New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. They lived in this area from AD1 and AD1300 and are thought to be the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians now...
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America; Indians of North America -- Rites and ceremonies; Indian dance -- North America; Indians of North America -- Folklore; Masks; Kwakiutl Indians; Kwakiutl art;...
This mask was created by contemporary Kwagiulth artist Buddy George. Called “Moon with Snakes” mask, it depicts a cosmological theme, as many Northwest Coast legends do. It embodies the moon, a celestial being that was, according to legend,...
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Folklore; Drum; Eagles; Dragonflies; Indians of North America -- Rites and ceremonies; Musical instruments
Different Native American groups have different traditions about the drum and how to play it. Painted symbols or ornaments on a drum represent various meanings. This hand drum has dragonflies and an eagle painted on the head. In Plains traditions,...
Indians of North America; Apache Indians; Apache baskets; Baskets; Containers; Pitchers
The Southwest Indians are well known for producing well made utilitarian baskets, as well as textiles, jewelry, and dolls. The various Apache tribes are well known for their coiled water jugs. This particular jug is covered with pine pitch inside...
Games; Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Great Plains; Indians of North America -- Games; Nineteen thirties
For many cultures around the world, games were important to pass the time. Many Native American cultures had some form of this type of ring and pin game. Considered a woman’s game, the object is to catch the bone “rings” with the needle. The...
Indians of North America; Pueblo Indians; Pueblo Indians -- Social life and customs; Pueblo pottery; Containers; Storage jars
In the beginning of the 20th century, Sara Fina Tafoya was the first Santa Clara Pueblo potter to succeed in marketing traditional utilitarian pottery with decorative non-functional designs. One image she began using was the imprint of a bear paw...
Indians of North America; Cherokee Indians; Cherokee Indians -- Social life and customs; Baskets; Cherokee baskets; Implements, utensils, etc.
This traditional Cherokee winnowing basket is for food preparation and is usually included in a set with a sieve, or food sifter, and a tray. The winnowing basket was used to separate grains from their husks. The woman would toss the grains over...
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America; Haida indians; Haida Indians -- Social life and customs; Implements, utensils, etc.; Sheep; Mountain Goat; 19th Century
For hundreds of years the Northwest Coast cultures used their abundant natural resources to create useful objects. Spoons were made from the horns of both sheep and mountain goat. They were used to transfer ceremonial food from serving bowls and...
Indians of North America; Inuit; Inuit children; Inuit -- Social life and customs; Implements, utensils, etc.
Inuit children grow up in one of the harshest environments known. To help their children adapt to life in that climate, Inuit parents treat their children as “small adults." Young girls and boys learn how to survive through their playtime...
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America; Tlingit Indians; Tlingit Indians -- Social life and customs; Chilkat textile fabrics; Dolls; Indian dolls; Blankets; Indian blankets; 1950s
Chilkat dancing blankets were made for men and women to wear, or give, at special Northwest Coast occasions. The art of Chilkat blanket weaving originated with the Tsimshian people but later spread to the Tlingit people through trade and marriage....
Indians of North America; Nineteenhundreds (Decade); Hair; Hairstyles; Hair-work, Ornamental; Hairdressing
Native American items were often decorated meticulously with paint, beadwork, or quillwork with specific designs. This particular hair ornament was probably made around the early 1900s, and used primarily for decorative purposes. Originally, hair...
Indians of North America; Nootka Indians; Indian baskets; Baskets
The Nootka people live along the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, and the northwest portion of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Their baskets are often made of cedar bark and spruce root. Some baskets are made for sale to the tourist...
Indians of north America; Zuni Indians; Zuni Indians -- Social life and customs; Zuni pottery; Containers; Storage jars; New Mexico; Zuni pottery
Zuni peoples recognized the importance of water in their daily lives. Water and items associated with water became part of their belief system. During the 1800s water jars or containers featured abstract designs of rain, vegetation and animals...
Eskimos; Inuit; Eskimos -- Alaska; Indians of North America; Snowblindness -- Prevention; Eyes -- Protection; Blindness
Inuit peoples used snow goggles to eliminate harmful ultraviolet sunlight reflecting on the snow, as well as increase visibility. Without these goggles, high altitudes and the reflective sunlight would cause snow blindness, a painful state...
Indians of North America -- Dwellings; Woodland Indians
Long ago, before trade brought different goods and lifeways to this region, Native Peoples of the Woodland area made their homes, wiikiaami, from strong wood frames with natural coverings. This contemporary model was made from the traditional...
Pomo Indians; Pomo Indians--Social life and customs; Musical instruments; Indians of North America--Music; Indians of North America--California
Clap sticks are used to keep rhythm in most Central Californian Native American dances. The stick is hit against the hand, causing the two split sides to clap together. 4-8 men clap sticks simultaneously while singing. At a certain point in the...
Indians of North America; Zuni Indians; Zuni Indians -- Social life and customs; Zuni pottery; Containers; Storage jars; Zuni pottery
Zuni peoples recognized the importance of water in their daily lives. Water and items associated with water became part of their belief system. During the 1800s water jars or containers featured abstract designs of rain, vegetation and animals...
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Social life and customs; Cheyenne Indians; Cradleboards
Native American mothers, aunts, and grandmothers demonstrated their love and hope for infants by creating elaborately decorated cradle covers or cradleboards. They used beads, paint, wood, or tacks to make special carriers for their infants....
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Northwest Coast of North America; Haida indians; Haida Indians -- Rites and ceremonies; Totem poles; Queen Charlotte Islands (B.C.); British Columbia; 1900s
For hundreds of years the Haida people have inhabited the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia, Canada. Many Northwest Coast cultures carve totem poles but the Haida are widely regarded as the best carvers and are considered the finest totem...
Inukshuks -- Canada; Indians of North America; Inuit; Cairns
Figures like this one, but much larger, can be seen in remote areas of Canada. There, the landscape is barren, without many landmarks to help people find their way. Years ago, people built their own landmarks out of stones, carefully chosen and...
