American Indian Art Auctions: Beadwork

American Indian art include various types of arts and crafts, from a more traditional or stereotypical Native American art such as beadwork and pottery, to modern photography, whether painting, sculpture and the like. There are many art auctions, both online and off, that this feature American art forms of India.

In this article we will discuss one of the most traditional branch and the relevant historical American Indian art: beadwork. Beadwork of the Native Americans have been and practical and decorative, utilitarian and rich symbolic meaning.

Beadwork and making of the beads themselves are very old craft. Stone, bone and shell beads (such as turquoise and semi-precious stones) are still made with the same old way. Little affected by modern technology, making the beads are still made in almost exactly the same way as people did thousands of years ago.

Sea shell bead pieces are one of the most popular and well known regional trade importance for thousands of years. Almost everyone has seen American Indian art pieces, from beaded necklaces to purses, belts and such.

Over the last few decades modern beadwork has been replicated in oriental factories and very cheap imports. This makes the factor of competing against top quality beadwork done by American Indian artisans. Native American crafts people have lost several million dollars (just over a period of eight years during the 1980s) beads are genuine fake and beadwork pieces.

Historically, beads were carved from turtle shell, animal horn and deer nails. It is often used to make rattling or tinkling pieces used in the dance. Hunters often wore necklaces put together with portions of meats, such as bear claws or wolf claws. This shows the skill of a hunter. Bones and seeds are often steamed to soften them for stringing and / or bending into various forms.

As an example of beadwork used for most practical purposes, the League Iroqois (Haudenosee) used white and purple wampum chains made of fresh water clam shells to record sacred ceremonies, treaties and songs. This practice is used both before and after the arrival of European settlers.

Many types of agreements are recorded with such beadwork chains. They are highly valued and cared for by their owners. European settlers thought of this care and reverence for wampum beads as a sign that the beads held monetary significance. As such, they mistakenly assume that the 'wampum' word called money, when in reality the beads are far more important as the original document is very important.

To string beads, Native Americans used animal tendons are divided so finely that can be used to attach beads to clothing, though rarely a strong plant fibers such as hide or nettle rope used for this purpose.

Today, the Navajos as well as some pueblo people still make the ancient bead type called heishii it. This is by far the most popular type and high quantity of beadwork are still made today as in ancient times. This necklace is also referred to as a necklace stories because they can be used to tell stories, with beads that represent each character.

Beads and beadwork are a very important part of archaeological explorations of pre-European history. Beads have survived thousands of years and many interesting stories about the times we were not there to testify. This is especially true in relation to beadwork mad of sea shells. Ancient shell beads have been found thousands of miles from the sea, which indicates various trade routes and contacts between groups of different people.

Today American Indian artists even create digital beadwork designs to help them make actual beadwork pieces. In this way complex designs and pieces can be tested on the screen before the project begins. This certainly added to the creative process for many beadwork artists.

Beadworking established through native history both in ancient and modern computer technology today. The most important aspect of beadwork, though, is not what can be sold or acquired, but personal pieces that are given only among family and friends. The true meaning behind these pieces are personal associations linked with the vision, perspective is important and anything else that someone wants to be reminded.

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