(IA) Module Overview

Indigenous Americas

"Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself." -Chief Seattle (Suquamish) "If you listen close at night you will hear the creatures of the dark, all of them sacred - the owls, the crickets, the frogs, the night birds. And you will hear beautiful songs you have never heard before. Listen with your heart. Never stop Listening." -Henry Quick Bear (Lakota)

Introduction

Photograph of Native MasksThis module follows the story of the clash of cultures that was to influence native art in the Americas. Indigenous visual arts traditions in the Americas span thousands of years, representing communities ranging from Mesoamerica to the Arctic. Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas comprise a major category in the world art collection. Contributions include pottery, paintings, jewelry, weavings, sculptures, basketry, carvings, and beadwork. Much of this artwork provides insight into the ceremonial rituals and beliefs of early cultures of the Americas.

In this module, we will examine in detail the artworks of various indigenous groups throughout North and South America prior to the year 1300. The chapter addresses the visual works created by indigenous people of North America, Central America, and South America before and after the conquistadors. After the destruction of Teotihuacan and the abandonment of the southern Maya sites, new cities arose to take their places. Notable examples were the Maya city of Chichen Itza in Yucatan and Tula, the Toltec capital. Their dominance was relatively short lived, however, and neither city left extensive written records. The conquerors raised new Christian shrines on the ruins of plundered temples of the ancient American gods, while the banner of the King of Spain waved over atrocities. The Inca's story, like those of the pre-Columbian peoples of Mesoamerica, ended in extermination by the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. North American works may be carved, woven, sewn, or built, and can incorporate such materials as feathers, quills, bark, skins, and wood, and encompass a variety of objects, including clothing and jewelry, blankets and rugs, masks, totem poles, baskets, and bowls.

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

  • Why and how does art change?
  • How do we describe our thinking about art?
  • How does religion influence art and architecture?
  • How has art been utilized to foster political beliefs?
  • Is art a reflection of its culture or a force to form or shape culture?

Key Terms

In this module, we will study the following key terms:

  1. Adobe - Adobe is the clay used to make a kind of sun-dried mud brick of the same name; a building made of such brick.
  2. Backstrap Loom - A backstrap loom is a simple Andean loom featuring a belt or backstrap encircling the waist of the seated weaver.
  3. Effigy Mounds - Effigy mounds are the ceremonial mounds built in the shape of animals or birds by native North American peoples.
  4. Embroidery - Embroidery is the technique of sewing threads onto a finished ground to form contrasting designs.
  5. Kiva - A kiva is a large circular underground structure that is the spiritual and ceremonial center of Pueblo Indian life.
  6. Pueblo - A pueblo is a communal multistoried dwelling made of stone or adobe brick by the Native Americans of the Southwest. Also used to refer to various groups that occupied such dwellings.
  7. Roof Comb - A roof comb is the elaborately sculpted vertical projection surmounting a Maya temple-pyramid.

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