The Ancestors: Native Artisans of the Americas
By: edited by Anna Curtenius Roosevelt, James G. E. Smith; [maps and line drawings by Tom Martin].
Contributors: Roosevelt, Anna Curtenius.; Smith, James G. E.; Alexander Hamilton United States Custom House (New York, N.Y.)
Edition: First edition
Publisher: Museum of the American Indian in association with Light Printing Co., Inc.; Brand: Natl Museum of the Amer Indian; Natl Museum of the Amer Indian
Published: 1979
Place of publication: New York, NY
Language: eng
Format: Exhibition Catalog, Paperback
Number of pages: 197
ISBN-13: 9780934490009
Copyright date: 1979 Museum of the American Indian
Subjects: Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation.; Indian art -- Exhibitions.; Indians -- Industries -- Exhibitions.
Description: Native American artisans are the subject of this catalogue, which was prepared for an exhibit presented by the Museum of the American Indian. The basic purpose of the exhibit is to explore the interrealtionships of crafts with the cultural systems of which they are a part. This approach treats human cultures holistically, explaining their characteristics in terms of the interaction of their parts with each other and with the physical and social environment. The study of a society will illuminate aspects of a system of craft production, and, conversely, study of a craft will shed light on the social system. 

The exhibit focuses on seven different categories of Native American artisan, and to represent each category, a specific, outstanding, regional craft has been chosen, selected for maximum geographic, temporal, and cultural diversity. The regional artisans featured in the exhibit are: the Sioux painter, the Karajá featherworker, the Haida carver, the Coclé goldsmith, the Pomoan basketmaker, the pre-Columbian potter, and the Araucanian weaver.

Illustrated with 12 color plates about artifacts, numerous sepia-tone photos both about artifacts and peoples, many drawings of designs and techniques, maps about specific locations, and each chapter provides rich bibliographies. The book ends with a chapter on listing each artifacts with exhaustive datas and added notes.
Notes: Catalog of an exhibition presented at the U.S.Custom House in New York City, Aug. 1-Oct. 31, 1979.
Includes bibliographies.
Table of contents: label: Foreword; label: Introduction; label: Color Plates; label: The Painter: The Sioux of the Great Plains
title: 1; label: The Featherworker: The Karaja of Brazil
title: 23; label: The Carver: The Haida of the Northwest Coast
title: 45; label: The Goldsmith: The Cocle Style of Ancient Panama
title: 67; label: The Basketmaker: The Pomoans of California
title: 103; label: The Weaver: The Araucanians of Chile
title: 131; label: The Potter: Pre-Columbian Cultures of the Southeastern United States
title: 159; label: List of Artifacts
title: 178