Home » Home & Style » Native-American Crafts » The Lure of Native American Collectibles

The Lure of Native American Collectibles

© Edwina Lewis

Native American history holds a fascination for almost everyone. Stories handed down from generation to generation and the mystery surrounding an ancient culture draw many of us into collecting bits and pieces of a history almost lost. From the Northeast to the Southwest, we find reminders of a long ago society, of handsome young braves and beautiful maidens striving to keep their culture alive. Today, there are few reservations across this vast land, and much of the culture has been absorbed into our Heinz 57 nation--once their nation. But in a few rare places, we still find the precious Native American artifacts being produced, transported and finally sold in small, exclusive shops throughout the country. This culture with its wonderful artwork, jewelry, pottery, and other collectibles, each piece telling its own story, is the reason for this column.

I've always been fascinated by Native American history. However, since studying the history and anthropology in university classes, I've been even more drawn to the stories, arts and crafts of this strong and wonderful body of people, their superstitions and their beliefs.

Somehow I almost believe you can see your soul reflected in the eyes of the wolves they portray in their art. So I collect wolves. After studying the significance of fetishes, I decided to collect them also. I now have a collection of two. But whether you collect fetishes, medicine wheels, dream catchers, Kachina dolls or any of the many other pieces of Indian art, you must know each piece carries a unique meaning of its own.

When a piece is crafted, a part of the artist's soul is believed to go into it; therefore, it's very bad karma to break a piece as you are destroying a piece of a person's soul.

We will be looking at history and collectibles from every age and area. From the Southwest, one of my favorite ancient studies is the Ancestral Puebloan (or Anasazi) culture that lived and farmed in the Four Corner region from about 1 AD until about 1300 AD. You can study their heritage and see their wonderful pottery at http://www.co.blm.gov/ahc/hmepge.htm.

A contemporary favorite is the Santa Clara who make exquisite pottery, as do the Acoma. See some examples of Santa Clara at http://www.indart.com/gallery/sclara1.htm and of Acoma at http://www.migrations.com/traditionalaco...

Whatever your particular Native American interest, you're sure to find it here. If not, let me know so we can cover it. I hope you will benefit much from this site, as I certainly will benefit by researching and writing about the Native American culture.

The copyright of the article The Lure of Native American Collectibles in Native-American Crafts is owned by . Permission to republish The Lure of Native American Collectibles in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.