Saturday, February 2, 2019

The Importance Of Native American Oil Paintings NM

By Michael Butler


Native Americans have been creating paints and sculptures for centuries. This is one of the first civilizations in America and thus their culture is rich in history and art. One of their most popular forms of expression is sculpture. Over the years there have been countless Native American oil paintings NM and sculptures uncovered by Archeologists.

The most common American sculptures are called Fetishes. These Fetishes are small carvings that are often highly decorated. They formed a crucial part of the lives of these indigenous tribes. As the most commonly took the form of animals these people believed that the small carvings took on the spirit of the animal they represented. Fetish dolls commonly take the forms of bears, eagles, rabbits, or wild horses.

These small animals were sculpted with the idea that they needed to b attractive while still serving a purpose to the person who carried them. The sculptures would be meticulously decorated with small stones, feathers, shells, and anything from nature that was beautiful. However, some Fetish sculptures were more highly decorated than others. These sculptures would be adorned in precious metals or even gemstones that the artist would specially choose.

These little animal carvings were most frequently carved from stone. The artists would yet again turn to materials that were readily available to them to carve the small statues. Many of these figures were carved from turquoise or soapstone. There were also a variety of Fetishes that were carved from marble. However, they are not as common as marble was expensive and difficult to source.

Although several Native tribes created these Fetish carvings the Zuni tribe created the most prolific sculptures. This tribe believed that their sculptures were real animals that had been turned to the sun by their sun god. Therefore, these little carvings held immense power and were treated with great respect. These people believed that their sculptures were the physical connection between earth and the spirit world.

The Zuni people believed that four animals represented the four compass directions. North was represented by the mountain lion, east by the wolf, the south was represented by the badger, and finally the west by the bear. These four animals each had their own special characteristics. These beneficial aspects would provide the carrier of the fetish with these same characteristics. Some would help with healing while others offered protection on a long journey.

However, these fetishes were not the only sculptures created by this ancient civilization. The American race also chose to express their religion by creating busts from clay or carving them from wood. These busts would represent important figures in their history. Another popular form of creative expression took the form of large totem poles that were carved from the trunks of trees. These totems were a welcoming sign for the visitor as well as the ties and status of a home or village.

The sculptures created by Native citizens form an integral part of their rich culture. Not only are they beautifully sculpted but they also hold deep metaphysical properties.




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