Indigenous America (1070-1900 CE) Flashcards
Great Serpent Mound
Serpents were sacred (can shed skin)
Permanent and durable
Spiritual journey to walk along it
NOT for human burials
Meant to look like an animal from above
Sacred site (possible supernatural power)
Cosmological (head faces summer solstice sunset)
Great Serpent Mound IDs
Ohio
1070 CE
Earthwork/effigy mound
Bandolier bag
Shows impact of Anglo-American bead trade
Bags show persistance during a time when Native people were being pushed away from their lands and culture
Rounded forms
Shows social status
Bandolier bag IDs
Lenape tribe
1850 CE
Beadwork on leather
Transformation mask
Displays a close connection between the people and their tribal hiearchy
Patterns show family history
Geometric, abstract, form line
Symmetrical
Undulating lines
Conceals identity
Physical representation of the transformation between animal and human
Theatric ritual
Shows close relationship with the people and their environment
Transformation mask IDs
Kwakwaka’wakw
19th century
Wood, paint, and string
Hide painting of the Sun Dance
Portrays Shoshone life
Dance was used to honor the Earth and its gifts
Naturalistic
Honors creator deity in hope of a prosperous bounty for the future
Hide painting of the Sun Dance IDs
Cotsiogo people, Wyoming
1890-1900 CE
Painted elk hide
Black-on-black ceramic vessel
Helped revive traditional Puebloan ceramic food containers
Did not use a potting wheel (used coil instead)
Shows connection between modern Indigenous people and their culture
Black-on-black ceramic vessel IDs
Maria and Julian Martinez
Mid-20th century
Blackware ceramic
Mesa Verde
Cliff-side housing (protects the people)
Kivas (male initiation ceremony)
Firepit and ventilation systems
Murals (geometric or natural)
Farming society
Mesa Verde IDs
Montezuma, Colorado
Puebloan
450-1300 CE
Sandstone
