An Introduction to Native American History andCulturein association withBasket Dance at San Ildefonso Pueblo, Pablita Velarde, Bandelier National Monument, National Park Service

How to Make the Most of This Lesson
This lesson serves as a road map for your journey through arich and exciting collection of online content made available
by Google Arts & Culture’s partners. You will explore
photographs, slideshows, voice recordings, and more. The
images in this lesson are just a sample of what’s available toyou via the Google Arts & Culture website.
You can complete this lesson independently or with fellow
students, a teacher, or another adult. The content isaccessible to a wide range of ages, but it’s especially geared
toward students ages 13 to 16.

You’ll see some helpful signs along the way:

Estimated time for completing thechapter

Audio recording or video

Link to more online content

Your journey in this lesson will take you through threemajor topics:
Chapter 1: Native America before Conquest
Chapter 2: Native American Life under the U.S. Government
Chapter 3: A Look at the Present
Chapter 4: Native Artistic Traditions

Learning activity

2

Tools for Learning
Below are tools for learning that you may need for Digital Discovery lessons:A device that connects to the Internet (acomputer or tablet)

A tool for writing your responses and big
ideas (pen, pencil, computer, etc.)

Art supplies (markers, crayons, paint)

Scissors

A notebook

Scrap paper

Explore! Google Arts & Culture pictures are big. If you want to explore a picture in greater detail, click on themagnifying glass symbol and zoom in with the zoom slider. By dragging the white box around, you can see eventiny details.
3

Welcome to An Introduction to Native American History
and Culture
Many thousands of years ago, people arrived in the Americas
from the north on foot and by boat. They spread throughout
the North American continent and all the way to SouthAmerica. Over time, many culture groups and Tribal Nations
developed across North America in what is now Canada, theUnited States, and Mexico. Today, some of the largest are theNavajo, the Sioux, the Ojibwe, and the Tlingit-Haida. Thislesson gives a brief look at the history of Native America, frompreinvasion to modern times. At the end of the lesson, you will
think about what you learned and then reflect on an art piece.

What Will You Do?
1. Learn about the development of some early cultures andNative American Nations.
2. See what happened to Native America after Europeans
invaded.
3. Get a glimpse of Native American successes in themodern era.
4. View a variety of Native American artforms.

Navajo Man in Blue Shirt, Allan Houser Circa 1963, Bureau of Indian Affairs Museum Program4

What’s in this lesson?
1.

Review the early history of Native America.

2.

Learn about the devastating impact of the Indian Removal Act.

3.

Read a selection of stories about Native Americans today.

4.

See some traditional and contemporary artworks by Native people.

By participating in this lesson, you will be able to:1.

Understand how different early Native cultures developed according to their environment.

2.

Identify the impact of Indian removal.

3.

Find out how varied Native experiences are in the United States today.

4.

Name some traditional Native American artforms.

Vocabulary
Tribal Nations, bison, convert, Powhatan Confederacy, treaties, expeditions, syllabary, Indian Removal Act,
Indian Territory, sovereign, Cherokee Nation, reservations, chief, band, climate change, ecosystems, media,
quillwork, abstract, representational
Need help with some of these terms? See the glossary at the end of this lesson.

5Native America before Conquest
What is this chapter about?
How the first people came to theAmericas and developed different
cultures
How long with this chapter take?
1 hourLamar Site at Ocmulgee Ocmulgee National Monument 2016, Georgia Public Broadcasting

6

Chapter 1: Warming Up
Before you explore, answer the questions below in your notebook.
Consider1. What does the word adapt mean? Look it up in a dictionary if needed.
•

In what ways do people adapt to their environments?

•

How do you think early Native Americans adapted?

Discover2. What might early Native American culture groups have done for food and shelter? Ifthey settled, what locations might they have chosen? Explain your answers.

7

Early Native Peoples
Some researchers believe that the first people in theAmericas could’ve arrived as far back as 33,000 years ago.
They came from the north, both on foot and by boat along
the coast, as large ice sheets covering North America
began to melt. Evidence shows that many early peoples
followed herds of animals across the land. One of the mostimportant animals to many Native peoples was the bison.
The bison provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools.
Over thousands of years, different culture groups
developed throughout North America. They adapted their
lifeways to their surroundings and built thriving
communities. Their homelands reached across what we
now think of as the borders between North American
nations. There were vast differences in language,
settlement patterns, and cultural traditions.

Learn more about
the significanceof the bison here.

The orange line on thishistorical map shows theextent of the original bisongrazing grounds. You can
see that the area covers
much of the modern-day
United States.

19th Century Bison Population Map, Dr. Hanns Maria von Kadich circa 1899, U.S. Department of the Interior
8
Museum Program

The Hohokam
One of the earliest
groups that researchers
have evidence for is the
Hohokam. The Hohokam
lived between two rivers
in what is now Arizona,
beginning around 1 CE.
They were farmers who
irrigated their fields. They
are also well known for
their decorative arts. The
later occupants of thearea, the Akimel O’odham(Pima) and Tohono
O’odham (Papago), arethought to be the direct
descendants of the
Hohokam people.

Learn more
about theHohokam inthis story.

Pithouse Structures, Michael Hampshire, Pueblo Grande Museum

9The Anasazi
Another group of early people in the American Southwest was the Anasazi—ancestors of the people we know today as the
Pueblo tribes. The Anasazi lived in the area of what is now Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, beginning around 100 CE.
At first, the Anasazi hunted and gathered food. Later, they grew crops, including corn and beans. Early Anasazi lived in caves, butlater people built homes out of stone. Around 1100 CE, the Anasazi began building elaborate cliff dwellings high off the ground.

This photograph shows oneof the cliff dwellings in Mesa
Verde National Park.

Learn more
about the cliff
dwellings of
Mesa Verde inthis story.

Puebloan cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park CyArk

See artifacts
from theAnasazi andother peoples inthis story.
10

The Mississippians
The Mississippian
culture was another earlygroup of Native
Americans. The
Mississippians are
believed to have lived
mostly in the midwesternand southeastern partsof what is now the UnitedStates, beginning around
700 to 900 CE. They lived
near rivers and werefarmers of crops likecorn and squash.

Learn more
about theMississippian
culture here
and here.
Mississippians Felling a Tree Georgia Public Broadcasting 2016 Georgia Public Broadcasting

11

The Mississippians arewell known for theirartwork and for their
massive ceremonial
mounds, like the one
shown here. The mounds
are believed to have beenused for religious purposes
and as burial grounds.

Learn more
about theMississippians’
mounds here,
here, and here.

Etowah Grand Temple Mound Georgia Public Broadcasting 201612

Effects of the Spanish Arrival on Native Peoples
In 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas, on a small Caribbean island. He was leading an exploration for Spain,
trying to find a sea route to India. Columbus believed he had reached India when he met the local people, the Taino. He called
the Taino los indios—the Indians in Spanish. Columbus’s journey sparked a wave of exploration and colonization of the Americas.
The Spanish wanted precious metals, gems, and spices. They also wanted to convert native people to Christianity. Colonizers
refused to acknowledge native people’s nations or culture. They forced many native people into slavery. Millions died from brutal
treatment and diseases brought by the Spanish. Some experts believe that as much as 95 percent of the Native American
population died in the years after the invasion.
After moving inland from the Caribbean, the Spanish
gradually made their way into North America. They
established missions—churches built to spread theChristian faith—to convert Native Americans. Thismission, San Juan Bautista, is a remnant of their efforts.
It is located in California.

Explore a California building inspiredby Spanish colonial architecture here.

Mission San Juan Bautista CyArk 2012-12-19

13Other Nations Send Colonists
Other nations—England,
France, and theNetherlands—also sentout exploratory voyages,
beginning in the late
1400s. In the 1500s, they
began trying to build
settlements, ignoring thefact that, in many cases,
they were occupying landalready claimed by native
peoples. England’s firstcolony—Roanoke(1587)—failed. In 1607
English colonists arrived
in Virginia andestablished Jamestown.
One of the leaders was
Captain John Smith.
Learn more about
Smith, the map
shown here, andearly Virginia inthis exhibit.

Virginia: Discovered and Discribed by Captain John Smith. Graven by William Hole. 1606. Library of Virginia

14

The Powhatan and Jamestown
Jamestown was located on the territory of the Powhatan
Confederacy, a group of Algonquian peoples named fortheir powerful leader, Powhatan. Powhatan’s daughter,
Matoaka (Pocahontas was a nickname) often brought thehungry English colonists food and served as a negotiator
between the groups. Relations between the groups were
initially good. Over time, however, conflict developed.
In 1614 Matoaka was abducted by the English when they
were at war with the Powhatan. During her captivity, shelearned English and English customs. She married an
English colonist, John Rolfe, in 1614. In 1616, the pairtraveled to England. Other Powhatan made the trip as well.
The colonists wanted English leaders to see that therelationship with the Powhatan was successful. The
portrait shown here was made during her trip there.
Matoaka was treated as royalty during the trip.
Learn more about thisportrait of Matoaka inthis story.

Pocahontas, illustration in Baziliωlogia A Booke of Kings, L... Simon van de Passe 1616,
National Portrait Gallery

15Effects of Colonial
Expansion
The Jamestown colony
eventually became very
profitable. Throughout the
1600s and early 1700s, newgroups of English settlers
arrived and built colonies. Spainand France controlled otherareas shown on the map.
Initially, some English colonists
established friendly relations
with Native Americans. Overtime, however, colonial
expansion and competition forresources led to battles
between settlers and Native
Americans. Native American
communities were often
destroyed as colonists invaded
their lands.
Read about the Creek andthe founding of Georgia
here.
Settlement of the Atlantic Coast Map Georgia Public Broadcasting 201616

Chapter 1: Wrapping Up
Now that you’ve read the chapter, reflect on what you’ve learned by answering the question below.
The early Native Americans that you’ve learned about lived in different parts of theUnited States and had different forms of housing. What did the different groups have incommon?

17

Chapter 2:
Native American Life under
the U.S. Government
What is this chapter about?
The impact of U.S. government
policies on Native Americans
How long will this chapter
take?
1 hourNative American War Club Native American War Club Entire, Hutchings Museum

18Chapter 2: Warming Up
Before you explore, answer the questions in your notebook.
Consider1. Have you always lived in the same place, or have you moved around a lot? What do
you think it would be like to be forced by the government to move to a different stateor country?

Discover2. How do people preserve the traditions that are important to them over time?

19

The Early United States
In 1775, hostilities broke out between the British andAmerican colonists. In 1776, the American colonies
declared independence from Great Britain. War raged formore than seven years. Some Native American groups
sided with the British. They hoped the British might help
protect their lands. Others sided with the colonists.
In September 1783, the United States became an
independent nation. Its leaders worked to set up a new
government. In the country’s first years, problems grew withother nations and within the United States itself. Leadersdetermined they needed a new plan for government. They
enacted the U.S. Constitution in 1788.
Problems also grew for Native Americans. The U.S.
government pressured many groups to give up their lands
to white settlers. The resulting treaties forced Native
Americans out of their homelands.
See how the Cherokee Nation modeled its 1827
Constitution after the U.S. Constitution in thisexhibit.

Cherokee Constitution 1875, Georgia Public Broadcasting20

Westward Expansion
In 1803 U.S. leaders purchased the Louisiana Territory
from France. This vast region west of the Mississippi River
almost doubled the size of the United States. President
Thomas Jefferson authorized expeditions to explore the
new lands and to make contact with the Native Americans
there. One of these was the Corps of Discovery, better
known as the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The group left Missouri in May 1804 and traveled acrossNorth America. Sacagawea, a Shoshone, joined the
expedition as a guide partway through the journey. The
group reached the American West Coast in November
1805. They then made their way back. They documented
plants, animals, people, and landforms throughout theirjourney.

Learn more about
Sacagawea andother famous
Native Americans
here.

Sacagawea, a Shoshone,served as a guide for the
Lewis and Clark expedition.

21
29c Sacagawea stamp United States Postal Service 1994-10-18, Smithsonian National Postal MuseumSequoyah and the Cherokee Writing
SystemSome Native Americans tried to adapt their customs andtraditions to those of White Americans as the United Statesgrew and expanded. One Cherokee—Sequoyah—saw WhiteAmericans’ ability to read and write as a source of theirpower over Native peoples. He began working on a written
form of the Cherokee language in 1806.
By 1821, Sequoyah had completed a syllabary of theCherokee language. He showed other Cherokee how it
worked by sending messages from one community toanother. Teachers taught the writing system in Cherokee
schools, where children quickly learned it. Newspapers andbooks could now be published in the Cherokee language.

Learn more about
Sequoyah, thewriting system,and the Cherokee
Nation here.

This portrait shows
Sequoyah holding a page
showing the writing system.

Sequoyah Portrait, Henry Inman, Georgia Public Broadcasting

22

The War of 1812 and the Creek War
In 1812 war between Britain and the United States brokeout again. The two nations had been fighting over trade foryears.
A related conflict developed among Native American
peoples in the Southeast. Shawnee leader Tecumseh
traveled there to encourage the Creek and other groups toresist white Americans and support the British. A civil war—
the Creek War—broke out. A group of Creek called the Red
Sticks attacked white settlements. In August 1813 U.S.
general Andrew Jackson led an army of 5,000 against the
Red Sticks, destroying Native American villages in theprocess. Other Creek, along with groups of Choctaw andCherokee, aligned themselves with the white Americans.
In 1814, at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Jackson’s army
destroyed remaining Red Sticks forces. The Creek werethen forced to sign a treaty giving up 23 million acres of
their land to the U.S. government.
Read more about how theWar of 1812 divided the
Creek in this exhibit.
Battle of Tohopeka--Death of Major Montgomery The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art 1847,
Georgia Public Broadcasting

23

The Cherokee Are Forced
Out of Georgia
This victory and Native Americancompliance with U.S. laws didn’t stop
white American demands, however. In
1829, discovery of gold in Georgia led to arush of white settlers onto Cherokee
lands. The Georgia state government
began giving parcels of land to white
settlers, ignoring Cherokee legal claims to
the land. This map shows the Cherokee
Nation between 1820 and 1868.

”They came afoot, on horseback, andin wagons, acting more like crazy men
than anything else.”—prospector Benjamin Parks,
describing the Georgia gold rush in
the Atlanta Journal
Cherokee Nation Map, Georgia Public Broadcasting 2016, Georgia Public Broadcasting

Read more about the Georgia
gold rush and the seizure of
Cherokee lands here.
24

The Devastation of the Indian
Removal Act
Georgia’s land lotteries were made legal by the Indian
Removal Act, signed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830.
This act required all Native Americans living east of theMississippi River to leave their homelands and to move to a
designated Indian Territory west of the Mississippi.
In 1832 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee
Nation wasn’t subject to laws passed by Congress because
it was a sovereign nation. This meant that the court didn’t
support the removal of the Cherokee from their lands.
Jackson ignored the court’s ruling and continued forcing
Native Americans from their homelands. Tens of thousandsof Native Americans had been forcibly removed by 1840.
Then, white settlers began moving into Indian Territory
claiming Native Americans’ lands once more. In 1907,
Indian Territory became the state of Oklahoma.
Read more about thisSupreme Court case here.
John Ross, principal chiefof the Cherokee Nationfrom 1828 to 1866
John Ross Portrait, Georgia Public Broadcasting25

The New Echota Treaty
Believing that the U.S.
government would notback down from Indian
removal, a small group of
Cherokee signed a treaty
with the U.S.
government. They agreed
to give up their lands andmove west. Chief Ross
protested, saying that thesigners didn’t represent
the Cherokee Nation as awhole. Cherokee wererounded up and forced tomarch west. The treaty
signers were later
executed by their people
for betraying the nation.
Read more
about Cherokee
removal andthe Trail ofTears here.

Signing the Treaty of New Echota Ed Jackson 2016 Georgia Public Broadcasting26

Continued Loss of Native Homelands
Southeastern Native
Americans weren’t the
only ones who faced
broken treaties and landseizure. Native
Americans in other partsof North America were
gradually pushed off theirlands onto reservations
by white settlers. As theUnited States spread
west, Native Americans
and white settlers cameinto frequent, often
violent conflict.
See the role Fort
Laramie played in
the West in thisexhibit.

Photograph along the parade ground of Fort Laramie, CyArk

27

Red Cloud Defends His People’s
Lands
Many Native Americans in the West tried to resist White
expansion onto their lands. Red Cloud, an Oglala-Lakota
chief, led a coalition of Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho in a
war against the U.S. army from 1865 to 1867. The goal wasto stop the flood of settlers invading Native Americans’
best hunting grounds. The government had been planninga road from Fort Laramie to Montana. Red Cloud led
constant attacks on U.S. army workers, forcing them tostop development of the road.
Red Cloud signed a treaty with the U.S. government in1868, agreeing to peace in exchange for protection of
Lakota lands. The treaty was broken, and the Lakota wereforced onto the Pine Ridge Reservation. Red Cloud led
efforts there to establish a school for educating his people,
seeing that as a means of protecting their future. Red
Cloud Indian School remains part of life in the Pine Ridge
Reservation today.
Find out more
about the effects
of western
expansion here.
Red Cloud, Charles Milton Bell, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

28

Teshunke Witko and Tatanka
Iyotanka Continue Resistance
Even though Red Cloud and other Native American leadersin the West ultimately made peace agreements with the
U.S. government, some Native leaders chose to continue
the fight to protect their lands and livelihoods. Teshunke
Witko, also known as Crazy Horse, was a chief of the
Oglala band of Lakota Sioux. He refused to surrender toWhite Americans and led several successful attacks
against the U.S. army. He and Chief Tatanka Iyotanka(Sitting Bull) of the Hunkpapa Lakota were responsible forthe defeat of Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer at Little
Bighorn.
Teshunke Witko was eventually forced to surrender by U.S.
troops and was taken prisoner. He died during a fight witharmy soldiers trying to confine him. He is still seen by his
people as a symbol of strength and resistance, as is
Tatanka Iyotanka, the last Native American chief tosurrender his rifle.
See a portrait
photograph of
Tatanka Iyotanka
here.
13c Crazy Horse stamp, United States Postal Service 1982-01-15, Smithsonian's National Postal Museum29

In spite of being forced offof their lands onto
reservations, Native
Americans held on to theircultural traditions andcontinued to fight for theirown sovereignty and rights.
Ancestors paved the way
for Native Americans
today, who continue towork to maintain thriving
communities with theircultural traditions intact.
Learn more about
famous Native
Americans here.
See how Native
American women
preserved traditions
here.

Indians from N.Y. State Reservation C. D. Arnold circa 1901 National Archives

30Chapter 2: Wrapping Up
Now that you’ve read the chapter, reflect on what you’ve learned by answering the question below.
You’ve seen how Native Americans were forced to leave their homelands through thepolicy of Indian removal. How do you think they kept their traditions alive for future
generations?

31

Chapter 3:
A Look at the Present
What is this chapter about?
A brief look at the strength andresilience of Native
communities across the UnitedStatesHow long will this chapter
take?
1 hourWinnebago Tribe of Nebraska - Ho-Chunk Village Honoring Nations Google 360˚ Tour 2017, Honoring
Nations

32

Chapter 3: Warming Up
Before you explore, answer the questions in your notebook.
Consider1. Where do Native Americans live in the United States today? Do you have a Native
community in your state? If you don’t know, do some online research to find out, andwrite down that information.

Discover2. What issues of concern might many Native people share in today’s world?

33

Preserving the Past While Looking Toward the Future
The Inuit are native to the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. They and other Alaskan Native peoples face issuesof climate change and its serious impact on the ecosystems of Alaska and the Arctic as a whole. These changes impact the
lifeways of the communities that rely upon the area’s natural resources. Alaska faces many diverse and criticalissues. Photographer Brian Adams, who took the photographs on this and the next two slides, documents the landscapes andthe people of Alaska. His work shows people’s change, adaptation, and resilience.
These girls are Yup’ik and live
in Tuluksak, Alaska. Each lists
math as a favorite subject.

This part ofAdams’s series
focuses on thepeople of the
YukonKuskokwim
Delta ofsouthwest
Alaska. The
photographs
and stories
show howpeople maintaintradition
alongsidemodern ways.
LEANN ALEXIA AND MOLLY ANN NAPOKA Brian Adams 2016 Anchorage Museum

34

Thomas Ahgupuk is
Inupiaq and lives inShishmaref, Alaska. He is
an artist who carves
jewelry and decorative
items from the bones andtusks of walrus. He also
carves whale bones andcaribou antlers. Ivory is his
favorite material to work
with.

THOMAS AHGUPUK Brian Adams 2016 Anchorage Museum

This story
focuses on thevillages in theWestern Arctic
region of
Alaska.

35

Dyrell Lincoln and Justice
Nukapigak are Inupiaq andlive in Anaktuvuk Pass,
Alaska. In this photograph,they are in the tenth grade
and are shoveling snow off
the basketball court so thatthey can play. Their teammade it to the statechampionships, placing
third. The boys hope toplay basketball in college.

DYRELL LINCOLN AND JUSTICE NUKAPIGAK Brian Adams 2016 Explore connections Anchorage Museum

This story
focuses on thevillages in the
Arctic Coastregion of
Alaska.

36

Success Stories in Self-Government
The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic
Development was founded in 1987 to help support andhonor social and economic development among Native
American nations. There are 574 federally recognizedIndian Nations in the United States. Depending on theculture group, they are referred to as tribes, bands, pueblos,
communities, and native villages. Each one decides thebest ways for its community to grow and flourish. Theirgovernments determine how to educate children, pass oncommunity values and traditions, and train future
leaders. The Harvard Project honors outstandingachievements in self-governance through its Honoring
Nations Awards.
This photograph shows an award given forintergovernmental relations to the Coast Salish Gathering.
The Coast Salish of Washington State were recognized forgathering local, state, province, and Canadian and U.S.
national government leaders to discuss and determine
effective environmental strategies and practices that are
relevant to the Coast Salish and others in the region.
Learn more about otherhonorees here.

Coast Salish Gathering, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community - 2010 Honoring Nations Award Honoring
Nations, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development

37

The Citizen Potawatomi
Nation in Oklahoma also
received an Honoring
Nations Award. The nation
was recognized for its
efforts to train collegeaged, high-achieving
Potawatomi on
Potawatomi government,
culture, and economic
development through a sixweek internship. The goal
is to inspire interns tobecome future leaders.
Learn more
about thePotawatomi
Leadership
Program in thisexhibit.

Potawatomi Leadership Program, Citizen Potawatomi Nation - 2014 Honoring Nations Award, Honoring Nations, The Harvard Project on
American Indian Economic Development

38

Ysleta del Sur Pueblo(YDSP) is one of threefederally recognized Native
American tribes, and theonly Pueblo, in the state ofTexas. It received an
Honoring Nations Awardfor its efforts inestablishingcomprehensive rules for
citizenship.
Celebrating the Honoring
Nations Award

Learn more
about thisproject here.

Project Pueblo - Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Honoring Nations Honoring Nations, The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development 2010-07-01

39

Chapter 3: Wrapping Up
Now that you’ve read the chapter, reflect on what you’ve learned by answering the question below.
What issue(s) of concern did you find that many Native people share intoday’s world? Explain your answer.

40

Chapter 4:
Native American
Artistic Traditions
What is this chapter about?
The media used in traditionaland modern Native art
How long will this chapter
take?
1 hourHopi-Tewa polychrome jar Fannie Nampeyo 1960/1970 Smithsonian National Museum of theAmerican Indian41

Chapter 4: Warming Up
Before you explore, answer the questions in your notebook.
Consider1. You have probably taken an art class at some point in your schooling. What kinds ofmaterials did you use?

Discover2. What kinds of materials do you think Native people from long ago used? What about
today?

42

A Variety of Media
Native Americans
throughout history haveproduced art in many
types of media. Fromeveryday objects to thoseused for ceremonies,
artworks reveal cultural
traditions and personal
experiences. Although
there are many Native art
practices, this chapter
focuses on quillwork,
beadwork, painting, andbasketmaking.
View these
exhibits to see asampling of
Native American
art by region:
Southeast
Northwest Coast
West
Southwest"When It's Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia, It's Apple Pickin' Time at the BIA” T. C. Cannon 1971 U.S. Department of the Interior

43

Quillwork
Quillwork is an art form unique to Native Americans. It
involves embroidery using the quills of porcupines andsometimes bird feathers, which are naturally white. The
quills are soaked in dyes to color them. Dyes are made ofmaterials from plants.
Quillwork was practiced for hundreds of years before thearrival of white settlers on the Great Plains. During the1700s and 1800s, quilling arts reached their highest levelof development. Then, the artform died out, but modern
artists have revived the tradition.
Quillwork was used to decorate shirts, moccasins (shownat right), jewelry, baskets, and other objects. It is one of themost recognizable art forms of the Great Plains today.

See more examples of quillwork here.
See one way the Anishinaabe used quillwork here.
View an exhibit on moccasins here.

Men's Quilled Moccasins, unknown (Sioux), Sioux Indian Museum (R.69.2.22)1900, U.S. Departmentof the Interior

44

Beadwork
One of the best-known
Native art forms isbeadwork. Early Native
American artists createdlarge beads from natural
materials, such as boneand shell, using wood orstone tools. With thearrival of Europeanscame smaller beads inlarge quantities, which
Native Americans used
to make the beaded
designs like this one.
View this exhibit tosee more quillwork
and beadworkpieces.
See how Plains
Native Americans
used the U.S. flagin their beadwork
here.

Beaded Baby Carrier, Mrs. Grouse Running (probably Cheyenne River Sioux), Sioux Indian Museum, U.S. Department of the Interior

45

Many modern Native
American artists continue
the beadwork tradition, in
addition to working in othermedia as well. Thesemoccasins were made byartist Gaye Fowler, who isof Jewish and Cree Metis
ancestry.

See moreworks of art by
Fowler andthree other
NativeAmericans arts
here.
Orange Flower & Fringe Moccasins, Gaye Fowler, Craft Council of British Columbia

46

Painting
Early Native Americans
painted designs onrocks. Later, artists
painted hides, typicallyfrom bison. Europeansbrought paper to theAmericas, and many
artists painted on paper
after bison became
scarce. Modern Native
American painters use
many different media,
including oil on canvas,
acrylic, and watercolor.
Some have even returnedto the hide painting
tradition. Subject matteris both abstract andrepresentational.
Learn more about
traditional andmodern Native
American painting
here and here.

"Dakota Eagle Dancer” Oscar Howe 1962, U.S. Department of the Interior

47

Basketry
Native Americans have made baskets for thousands ofyears. Their techniques have been passed down throughmany generations of people. Today, baskets are thought ofas decorative, but they were a necessity for early peoples.
They were used for storage, carrying items, and serving
food. As a result, they were crafted in different shapes andsizes and of different materials.
Though they were everyday objects, Native peoples spent agreat deal of time and effort on basketry design. Patterns
were passed down from person to person. Their
construction was time consuming—as many as 1,000
stitches could be required to craft one basket.
The materials used reflect the location of the maker. In the
Northeast, people used soft grasses. In the Southeast,makers used wicker and pine needles. Northwest people
used spruce root and cedar bark. People in the Southwest
used yucca and sumac.
Read more about
Native Americanbasketmaking
here and here.

The artist who made thesebaskets used spruce root,
bear grass, dyed porcupine
quills, and maidenhair fern.

Karok lidded baskets Elizabeth Hickox Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian48

Creativity in the Everyday
As you’ve seen
throughout this chapter,
Native American artistic
traditions have been
carried down overthousands of years.
From everyday tools toceremonial objects, theitems reflect thecreativity and ingenuityof their makers.
Would you like tolearn more about
Native Americanfunctional yet
beautiful pieces?
View more Native
American artifacts
here and here.
See the work ofcontemporary Inuit
ceramicists here.

Yarn Bag Winnebago1890/1910 Grand Teton National Park, National Park Service

49Chapter 4: Wrapping Up
Now that you’ve read the chapter, reflect on what you’ve learned by answering the question below.
What common Native American artforms did you learn about in thischapter?

50

Digital Learning in Action
So, what did you learn? Read the questions and complete the learning activities below to extend your learning based on what
you just experienced.

Reflect Answer these questions:•

Who were some of the early Native peoples?

•

What impact does environment have on how a culture develops? Give some examples from the lesson.

•

What issues do modern Native Americans have to handle in their communities?

Summarize: Describe the materials used by early Native Americans to create art. For what purposes were some of

their creations used?

Create: Look at the artwork shown here. It iscalled “Trade Canoe: Adrift.” It is Native
American artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith’sinterpretation of the experience of Syrian
refugees in the modern world. The piecereflects on Smith’s own Native American
heritage. Write a paragraph describing how
this piece reflects Native experiences after theEuropean invasion. If you need to look moreclosely at the painting, go here.

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Glossary•

abstract: expressing ideas in art without using elements to create a realistic picture•

band: a small kinship-based group of Native Americans•

bison: large, shaggy mammal that typically lives and migrates in herds•

Cherokee Nation: the sovereign tribal government of the Cherokee people••

chief: the head political officer of a Native American group, tribe, or Tribal Nation
climate change: major, long-lasting changes to Earth’s climate and weather patterns•

convert: to bring about a change to religious beliefs•

ecosystems: communities of organisms living in an environment as a unit•

expeditions: journeys taken for a particular purpose•

Indian Removal Act: an 1830 law of the U.S. Congress, signed by President Andrew Jackson, that removed Native Americans east of
the Mississippi River from their homelands; was one of the first legal steps to creating a reservation system•

Indian Territory: a former territory designation for Native Americans that is located in the modern-day state of Oklahoma•

media: types of artistic expression•

Powhatan Confederacy: an alliance of around 30 Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes that lived in areas of what is today
Virginia and Maryland•

quillwork: decorative work in bird or porcupine quills•

representational: in art, a likeness or image•

reservations: areas of public lands set aside for Native Americans•

sovereign: possessing supreme political power••syllabary: a set of characters that represent syllables in a language
treaties: written agreements between governments or peoples•

Tribal Nations: the collection of 574 sovereign Native American groups—tribes, bands, nations, pueblos, communities, or native villages

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