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Friday, February 1, 2019

Native American Oil Paintings NM: What Is The Significance?

By Michael Butler


One of the most widely studied cultures around the globe, the Native Americans have a cultural history that can be traced back for centuries. One of the most important aspects of their history is their art and sculpture was one of their favorite expressions of it. Native American oil paintings NM are still commonly found by archeologists.

Although there are a wide variety of different sculptures the most common are known as Fetishes. They were miniaturized carvings of animals that were believed to contain the essence of the being that it was carved to look like. Common animals that were chosen for these carvings include eagles, rabbits, wild horses, or bears. These small statues were highly revered by the Native American people. As a result, great care was taken when making and decorating them.

The artists who sculpted these small animals believed that their art should be both beautiful as well as having a purpose. They would spend a considerable amount of time ensuring that their sculptures were appropriately decorated. The artists would choose decorations from objects around them that caught their attention. Common decorations for these Fetish carvings include shells, feathers, and small stones while the rarer sculptures were covered in precious metals and gemstones.

The lands in which the Native Americans lived was rich in mineral deposits. Thus it is common to find these kinds of carvings that have been sculpted from stones like soapstone and turquoise. The rarer and difficult to find Fetishes are usually carved from marble. These small sculptures are incredible as marble was incredibly difficult to locate at that time and would have been rather expensive.

It is believed that among all of the Native tribes the Zuni tribe were responsible for some of the most significant Fetish carvings. This was a tribe who believed that each sculpture was an animal who had been transformed into stone by the god of the sun. This indicates that this tribe found real value in their art. For them, each Fetish sculpture was a link between the physical and 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.

The American culture is also well known for their wide variety of sculptures. They would take fallen logs and sculpt totem poles from their wood. Each totem pole served as a welcome sign for guests and would offer an important visual representation of the families or villages status and ties. Also common were busts sculpted from clay or carved from wood. These busts would represent important figures in Native American history.

The history of the Native tribes is varied and their sculptures add to the diversity. Their sculptures are key to their identity as they are the link between man and the spirit world while being aesthetically pleasing.




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