Indigenous Art
Native American and Spirituality
"There is no words for art"
When the distinguished Cape Dordet artist Knojuak was asked what the word for art is, she answered: "There is no word for art... we say it is from the real to the unreal, sanaguatavut".
"I believe that Eskimos do not have a satisfactory word for art because they have never felt the need for such a term. Like most other hunting societies, they have thought of the whole act of living in harmony with nature as their art. The small objects that they carve or decorate are to them insignificant reflections of their total art of living."
In Western society, art is generally that which is concerned with aesthetics, while craft is typically thought of as that which is merely functional. Within created traditional Native American forms, however, there can be no such dichonomy, because art is not only the particular created form but also the inner principle from which the outer form comes into being.
p 61, Teaching spirits : understanding Native American religious traditions [0-19-513875-9; 0-19-535008-1] Brown, Joseph
yr:2001
Native people and their land
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To American Indians, life occurs in cycles, and the seasons of the earth govern all living things.
Ceremonies are held throughout the year to mark each season (or cycle) of the earth and to give thanks for what the earth has provided.
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Native peoples maintain close connections to the land and the places they come from. They express those
connections in many different ways, including ceremonies and celebrations that can involve singing and dancing,
giving thanks, feasting, gift giving, storytelling, and games. In the United States and Canada, there are more
than 1,100 individual tribes—each with its own set of practices that show appreciation for the natural world
and those spirits that lie within it.
The Native peoples of the North Pacific Coast region of North America share many cultural similarities that
relate to their shared surroundings—the land, sea, climate, and resources. Over time, tribes have changed in
various political, social, and economical ways; yet they maintain their traditions. In both the U.S. and Canada,
Native people prefer to be identified by their tribal affiliations. As a group of people, the commonly accepted
terms in the U.S. are Native peoples or Native Americans. In Canada, the term used is Aboriginal; tribes are referred to as First Nations. There are 197 First Nations in British Columbia alone.
Sand Painting
Sandpainting
Did you know that trees talk? Well they do. They talk to each other and they'll talk to you if you listen. Trouble is, white people don't listen.
They never learned to listen to the Indians, so I don't suppose they'll listen to other voices in nature. But I have learned a lot from trees; sometimes about the weather, sometimes about animals, sometimes about the Great Spirit.
—Tatanga Mani, Stoney Indian