These colorful earrings are made with light green, dark green, blue, and red seed beads. The almond shape of the transparent green beaded loops suggests that they may represent leaves, or more likely, feathers that are tied along a string. Feathers were commonly worn as status symbols among Great Plains cultures, as they were presented as symbols of recognition for different … [Read more...] about Native North American Beadwork by Alexa Langelier
The musical instruments in this exhibit originated throughout the Americas, including the Great Plains of North America, Mesoamerica, Central America, and the Andean region of South America. While these instruments have become popular in the tourist trade, their origin is in the ancient cultures of these continents. For many indigenous cultures of the Americas, … [Read more...] about Native Musical Instruments of the Americas by Ana Babb
The colorful textiles featured in this exhibit are known as molas, which are artworks designed and produced by female artists of the Guna culture (also known as the Cuna or Kuna culture) of Panama. A mola is a rectangular panel of cloth that is decorated using a reverse appliqué technique: Two to six layers of different-colored fabric are stacked one on top of the … [Read more...] about 20th-century Guna Culture Molas from Panama by: Kylei Giles, Brianna Shatto, and Melissa Payte