Native American symbolism in art
Native American symbolism in art encompasses a rich tapestry of meanings deeply rooted in cultural beliefs and natural elements. Central to this symbolism is the concept of circularity, reflecting the universe’s wholeness and the cyclical nature of life, evident in structures like tipis and various artifacts. Circular designs often symbolize the sun, a vital element for nomadic Plains tribes, and are prevalent in beadwork, pottery, and architectural forms across different tribes. Another significant design element is the cross or x-shaped figure, which denotes the four directions and represents the balance of the individual within the broader community and universe.
Moreover, the number four frequently recurs in Native American art, symbolizing balance and the duality of existence—such as male and female or life and death. Color symbolism is also significant, with various cultures attributing different meanings to colors based on context, emphasizing the complexity and variability of interpretations. Overall, in many Native American traditions, the distinction between art and practical objects blurs, allowing for a profound interconnection between artistic expression and everyday life. This intricate system of symbols invites deeper exploration into the values and beliefs of Native American cultures.
Subject Terms
Native American symbolism in art
Tribes affected: Pantribal
Significance: The seemingly abstract designs that appear on American Indian structures, baskets, and pottery represent various aspects of Indian cosmology
Art historians distinguish between abstract and representational Native American art, but in the sense that all design elements are significant, all can be said to be representational. A ubiquitous element is the circle. Oglala mystic Black Elk explained the importance of circularity as imitating an important principle of the universe; hence tipi design, the whole tipi village, and designs on clothing and houses signify the circular wholeness of the earth and the circle of the seasons. Circularity also represents the sun, the central divinity and astronomical anchor of the nomadic Plains people, and a circle or concentric circles with branches or rays appears in beadwork, painted on hides, and worked into other artifacts.
Circularity is significant in house design in many tribes, whether grass houses in California or the Southwest, hogans among the Navajo, Eskimo winter dwellings or Apache wickiups; the house is a symbolic microcosm of the earth, and some groups place the opening to the east to receive the day’s first light, symbolizing the creative mating of earth and sky. On a smaller scale, circularity is inherent in such artifacts as coiled baskets and pottery, where applied or inlaid design often reflects natural forms such as spider webs or coiled snakes. Tiny pottery seed pots from the southwestern pueblos symbolize the earth, with a minute hole representing the maternal opening through which the first people emerged in the process of creation.
The complementary abstract figure is the cross or x-shaped figure. This design element most often signifies the four directions; when placed within a circle, it represents a centering of the individual within the community and of the community within the universe. Black Elk alludes to such a figure in describing his great vision, and the figure of the quartered circle appears in such creations as Navajo sand paintings. The quartered circle is also part of the general patterning of four that recurs in many tribes in the Plains culture area and Southwest culture area: Sets of pairs and multiples of four recur in all aspects of art, including numbers of repetitions of songs during ceremonies, figures in Native American sand paintings and on woven blankets, jewelry, household implements, and other artifacts. A major significance of such quarternary patterning is the idea of balance: matched pairs of opposites represent the balance between male and female, light and dark, hard and soft, life and death, and good and evil that must be maintained in the universe. Not all groups have four as their significant number; five and seven are also significant, as are other numbers.
Color symbolism is highly elaborated in many traditions, though different meanings may be associated with colors. Hence, black may signify the north in one context, while white is the color for the north in another; in body painting, black may signify mourning for one people, whereas it is part of a warrior’s outfit for another. The idea of balance is also expressed through color symbolism, as in the alternating black and white stripes of the clowns in the Hopi tribe.
The distinction between art and non-art is not central to native traditions, and symbolic significance permeates the creation of almost every object, whether for practical use or aesthetic contemplation.