Molas and molitas (“little molas”) are elaborate textiles made by the women of the Kuna culture of the San Blas territory, in what is today the country of Panama. The elaborate designs on molas are created primarily using a technique known as reverse appliqué, a painstaking process that involves stitching together several layers of cloth and then cutting designs and outlines … [Read more...] about Molas and Molitas: Researched by Amanda Steimel and Elizabeth Rodwell
Among the indigenous artists of the Americas, ceramists have developed signature pottery forms that are based on traditional cooking and storage vessels. These artists often also developed elaborate, decorative forms of pottery to serve for important civic or ritual occasions, as well as to cater to and satisfy high-status patrons. Some forms, motifs, and designs on these … [Read more...] about Native Ceramic Vessels from Around the Americas: Researched by Whitney Mosley and Sarah Teel
This basket is a good example of the exchange of ideas and techniques among Native American peoples, as it was made by a woman of Native American ancestry from eastern Canada, but who learned to make baskets in the Southeast Woodlands, which is a region of the Southeastern United States. Cultures from the Southeast region, including the Cherokee, Choctaw, and Coushatta, have … [Read more...] about Basketry from Throughout the Americas: Researched by Abbey Waterworth
Native American projectile points have been made in the Americas from the time of the earliest Paleo-American cultures through the 16th century. The points in these collections are made of local stone in a variety of colors; the majority of the points are made of Burlington chert, but there are also points made of Mozarkite chert and jasper chert. Native Americans also … [Read more...] about Midwest Native American Projectile Points: Researched by Paige Whitcomb and Chaney Jewell
Kachina figures are made by many different Native cultures of the American Southwest region, but they are believed to have originated with the Hopi culture. The more geometric, compact, and simplified Kachina figures, or Tihu figures (plural Tithu), are traditional sculptures that depict Hopi spirits and serve as educational, religious objects; these figures are carved by the … [Read more...] about American Southwest Kachina Figures: Researched by Hannah Robinson