The "Apinayé" are a Brazilian indigenous ethnic group that live in a transition zone between the "Cerrado" and the Amazon. This study primarily aims to understand the meaning that art holds for "Apinayé" indigenous students at a Brazilian Indigenous School. We used an ethnographic research methodology, while also…

Community-based research and learning can never be prescribed. The study entitled "Intergenerational Learning in Indigenous Textile Communities of Practice," funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, illustrated this point in many ways. Although it was conceived as community-based research, it was not initially…

In this article, the author discusses the history and practice of "star quilt" making. The star quilt has become synonymous with the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, home to the Assiniboine and several bands of Lakota and Dakota. Receiving a quilt is considered a great honor and often takes place at powwows, funerals, memorials, and even…

This article draws upon ethnographic fieldwork within a Navajo community to illustrate how weaving knowledge and practices shape contemporary notions of community identity and belonging. The ongoing exchange of Navajo weaving taboos and the careful management of weaving teachings offers community members various opportunities to share and keep…

Navajo trading has been a crucial component of that tribe's localized economy for generations and has been the subject of much scholarship over the years. The role of the Navajo trader in influencing the types and styles of crafts that Navajos created as well as providing tribal members with an outlet for those items remains important to their…

This dissertation presents a multidisciplinary means of determining the actual content (foodstuff, non-foodstuff, or lack of contents) of Classic Mayan (A.D. 250-900) vessels. Based on previous studies that have identified the residues of foodstuffs named in hieroglyphic texts (e.g. cacao), this study is designed to further investigate foodstuff…

With ancient roots, basket making has been practiced since the earliest civilizations, and according to textile experts, probably pre-dates pottery. This is partly conjecture since few baskets remain. It is through evidence found in clay impressions that the earliest baskets reveal themselves. Basically, basketry construction is like flat weaving.…

This essay is a short history of imitation "tithu," dolls representing "katsinam," the Hopi supernaturals. It is a study of "authenticity" in the marketplace and its perceived relation to "magic," "spirituality," and "antiquity," as the article follows early changes at Hopi through the…

Over the last few years there has been a growing recognition of the trend among contemporary artists to engage methods and materials traditionally associated with craft. Sewing in particular has become a prevalent form of artistic expression among contemporary artists. This article is a consideration of sewing as an artistic practice in the works…

This article presents an activity that focuses on helping students investigate the formation of rocks, minerals, and gemstones. Students describe visual, textual, and physical properties of various specimens of minerals. Using compare and contrast skills, students can classify the primary types of rock, ask questions about the Earth's inner…

This article presents an art project inspired by the Indian artisanship. In this article, the author describes how her fourth-graders made three-dimensional, authentic looking and meaningful papier-mache moccasins.

This article examines early influences on art education for boys (Chalmers & Dancer, 2007) in areas traditionally labeled as crafts. Under review is the work of Ernest Thompson Seton, artist, naturalist, storyteller, author, philosopher, crusader for and supporter of indigenous American Indian ways of knowing, and a co-founder of the Boy Scouts of…

Hands-on projects such as creating a three-dimensional diorama are among the most memorable of positive elementary school experiences, yet they are generally uncommon because these complex projects are daunting to undertake. Therefore, it is important to prepare preservice teachers with the skills to lead children in creating these types of…

Native peoples, like others, use objects not only as a means of adornment or as tools for living but also as statements about themselves in the greater whole of the universe, conveying many levels of information. These objects will remain a statement of tribal and individual identities serving as communicators to the outside world and as points of…

This article discusses the history of American Indian beadwork or ornamentation and the types and manufacturing techniques used in its production. (RTS)