NATIVE AMERICAN ART
Southwest Region
Objectives:
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Identify and describe the contributions to art made
by various Native American cultures
Discuss the influence of geography and beliefs on
the artworks created by those Native American
Cultures
Recognize symbols used in Native American Art
Describe the cultural and artistic achievements of
the Southwest region
Standards: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 6.3, 6.6, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3
Southwest Region of America
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Extends from the
northern area of
Mexico to the
southern foothills of
the Rocky Mountains
Most often
associated with the
Pueblo people
The Pueblo
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Pueblo means village
Used to identify groups of people living in large,
highly organized settlements
Ancient Pueblo dwellings were built with walls made
of adobe-sundried clay
Rise of Pueblo Civilization
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Pottery is one of the oldest art forms in the Native
American culture.
It developed out of necessity for the use of cooking,
storage and water vessels.
When the great civilizations such as Mesa Verde, Chaco
Canyon and Canyon de Chelly were thriving, pottery
techniques excelled.
The Native American was no longer nomadic and being
settled in one area for years or a life time gave them
the opportunity to perfect this skill.
The pueblo potters of today use the same styles, skills
and technique as their ancestors.
Pueblo Pottery
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Very skillful in creating painted pottery
Each community developed its own distinctive
shapes and painted designs.
Many symbols were used to create hidden
messages
Pottery today
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Traditional Southwest Native American Pueblo
Pottery is entirely handmade... that includes sifting
the clay, making the natural dyes, making the yucca
brushes, and making the slip to finish the pottery
Maria Martinez
Barbary Gonzalez-great granddaughter of Maria
Pueblo Techniques today
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Pueblo Indian Potters use clay they gather themselves, usually from sacred tribal
land.
They sift and clean the clay as they've done for centuries.
Entirely made by hand in the traditional (hand-coiled) way.
The ancient process of making coiled pottery begins with the artist gathering clay,
plants, minerals, and shards of broken pottery from the reservation.
Paints, dyes and brushes are made from local plants.
In most pueblo pottery, old pottery shards, ground down and mixed with the clay
are added to the clay
The shards act as a grog and help prevent the new pot from shrinking or cracking
during the drying process.
Also, old pottery shards provide an important spiritual connection to the past.
The clay is rolled and coiled to form the new pot.
After the pot is shaped, a slip is applied.
The pot is then burnished and fired.
Some potters fire in kilns others use traditional, outside adobe ovens or open fires.
Navajo Weavings
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Women were weavers
Learned from the male Pueblo weavers
Made cloth from looms from beginning of 1800’s
New designs and patterns adapted from Spanish and
Mexican settlers
Weaving Characteristics
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Closeness of the weave
Rich, vibrant colors
Bold designs
Basketry
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Baskets were woven using natural fibers from plants
that were readily available. This differs from region to
region.
In the Southwest Region, baskets were usually made
from Three Leaf Sumac, but sometimes yucca or willow.
Boiled down Pinion pitch was applied inside to seal
them from leaks
Baskets were used as water jugs, trays and low bowls.
Traditional Wedding Basket
The NAVAJO WEDDING BASKET is viewed as a map through which the Navajo chart their lives.
The central spot in the basket represents the sipapu, where the Navajo people emerged from the prior world
through a reed.
The inner coils of the basket are white to represent birth.
As you travel outward on the coils you begin to encounter more and more black.
The black represents darkness, struggle and pain. As you make your way through the darkness you eventually
reach the red bands, which represent marriage; the mixing of your blood with your spouse and creation of
family.
During this time there is no darkness. Traveling out of familial bands you
encounter more darkness, however, the darkness is interspersed with white
light. The light represents increasing enlightenment, which expands until
you enter the all white banding of the outer rim. This banding represents
the spirit world, where there is no darkness.
The line from the center of the basket to the outer rim is there to remind
you that no matter how much darkness you encounter in your world, there
is always a
pathway to the light.
This pathway during ceremonies is always pointed east. The last coil on
the basket rim is finished off at this pathway to allow the medicine man to
easily locate it in darkness.
Additionally the Navajo Ceremonial Basket serves another purpose. In
none of the ancient Navajo rites is a regular drum or tom-tom employed.
The inverted basket serves the purpose.
Navajo weaving yesterday and today
Navajo Pottery
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Traditional Navajo pottery was originally a primitive form of work than pueblo
wares, fairly thick in appearance, with little or no design and covered with a pine
pitch making it utilitarian.
This enabled the piece to hold water or to use in cooking.
Navajo pottery designs have changed dramatically over the last few decades.
Unlike the pueblo pottery, many pieces are thrown on a wheel or start out as
greenware rather than using the standard pueblo coil method.
However, many Navajo artists are choosing to return to their earlier ways and are
hand coiling their pieces.
All carved and etched pottery pieces are hand carved and hand painted. The paint
"slips" are natural pigments from the earth.
The designs used represent rain clouds, whirlwinds, water, mountains, lightning, etc.
Turquoise stones added to the wares have also become popular, and represent a
symbol of wealth and prosperity.
Symbols
1. The bag of rain which the Humpback Yeibitchai carries on
his back
2. Falling rain
3. Rain far-off
4. Mountain
5. Turkey track
6. Star
7. A spring or something hidden; as food
8. Whirling logs (swastika)
9. Mouth of the Talking God, "Yeibitchai" 9 A, 9 B, 9 C, 9 D,
are variations of the design often used in borders
10. A diamond composed of two triangles signifying rain
11. Cloud-ladder which may be single, or double as in 12,
on which the Slayer and his brother rode to Heaven
13. Ceremonial basket design: the patient in a ceremony sits
with his head over a ceremonial basket to have his hair
washed.
Pueblo Pottery today
Cecilia Benally
Rachel Concho
Sandra Victorino
Sandra Victorino