Not all Kachinas are serious; there is a group of Kachinas known as Sacred Clowns. Each Kachina has a purpose in the dances, and the clowns often act out in either eccentric, comical, or negative ways in between dances. Through these actions, the Sacred Clowns provide lessons on improper behavior […]
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Not all beads used by natives were symmetrical or perfectly formed. For example, animal teeth were often used to create art or adorn regalia. Early tooth beads had a hole drilled through them to allow a string or sinew to pass through. Later, after some of the tribes became proficient […]
Inuit girls were taught at a very young age the basic skills needed to perform adult tasks. Those skills were learned by a child through the creation of her own set of dolls representing activities for every day life. Usually an older female relative helped the youngster master the skills […]
Buttons, especially metal military buttons, are often found when archaeologists are excavating the site of a native village. Does this mean that the two groups lived in harmony together? Not necessarily. While it was not unheard of for natives and Europeans to coexist, more commonly, the two relied on each […]
Kachinas are often seen during celebration and ceremonial dances of the Pueblo tribes. During the ceremonial dances, a specific Kachina, or group of Kachinas, will be seen participating. Social dances are a bit more open and the same Kachinas are not always participating. The Kachina featured here is called Poli […]
We discussed the tufa stone and sandcasting types of molding techniques the Navajo used for their silversmithing, but some of the work that is produced is too thin to be efficiently molded. So how did they make some of the thin detail work? This was done by hammering out coins! […]
The figure featured here a tihu, or what is commonly call a Kachina Doll. Kachinas originate out of the Pubelo tribes of the Southwest and each one represents a different spirit in the world; from clouds to bears and from clowns to mothers. Even though most will call it a […]
n response to our invitation for suggestions and questions for Museum Monday features, we were delighted that Becky Rollinson asked if wampum was used as currency by the tribes on the Outer Banks. The word “Wampum” actually comes from the Narragansett (from Rhode Island) and literally means ‘white shell beads.’ […]
Making a mold out of tufa stone was discussed in a previous post, but how did the Navajo mass produce some of their work if the mold would only work for a small number of pieces? In the mid 1800’s the Navajo started a process that is known as sandcasting. […]
Beautiful silver jewelry is a well known icon for the Navajo, or Dine, people. But how are they able to create such intricate work out of silver? One method was to use a mold carved from tufa stone. Tufa is a type of limestone that is relatively easy to carve […]
The Pacific Northwest is well known for its amazing baskets made from cedar and local grasses. Some baskets made in this are were woven so tightly they were able to easily hold water! The lidded basket that pictured here is approximately 2 inches tall and is common to the Makah […]
Pipes for the natives typically evoke images of “peace pipes” with long, decorated, stems and a small bowl at the end. But not all tribes used that style of pipe. This example is a traditional pipe, carved in soapstone by David Big Bear. The pipe here is a fetish pipe […]