Enter your search terms Submit search form

Web www.support-native-american-art.com

Support Native American Art exists to increase your awareness of the rich diversity of Native American arts and crafts and Native American Culture, and to help you understand and acquire these works, either for yourself, or as gifts for those you love.

• QUALITY - Unlike the assembly-line, cookie-cutter trinkets flooding our market these days, each and every work of genuine Native American art is painstakingly hand-crafted, carrying with it the artist's own unique style. As such, your investment, however small, will definitely increase in value over time.

• UNIQUENESS - All Hand-crafted items are truly unique! These amazing Native American artisans are using their personal vision and style that are both modern and yet rich in culture and tradition. You'll have to make time to tell your friends where you found such a beautiful, one-of-a-kind piece.

• SUPPORT - YES, your investments can be a bridge between the hope of the future and a tribute to the past. By investing in genuine Native American art, you can build such a bridge. (By the way, art can be what YOU want it to be: clothing, belts, coats, jewelry, rugs, pottery, baskets, blankets, etc.) And, your investment bridge flows back to families and communities for food, clothing and education. Meanwhile, new markets open for innovative, vibrant, dynamic and exciting artisans to step into, all the time mindful of their rich tradition.
  
  
  

  Yes! YOU did all this ... BRAVO!!!!

  
  

My daughter and I traveled to Santa Fe to visit a college friend and was shopping in the famous Santa Fe Indian Market, looking to invest in a few nice pieces - I looked at jewelry, clothing, pictures, artwork...I realized that I forgotten the meanings of patterns or animal symbols, what materials were traditionally used in making baskets, rugs, and so forth, what the different stones were in jewelry and why, what exactly is a medicine wheel and what does it mean, what’s the rain dance, etc. Being interested in Native American arts and crafts, an archaeologist and a researcher by trade, I combined them and here I am!

I have always loved history, especially American History, starting with looking at the pictures in National Geographic, growing up knowing of an Iroquois ancestry to graduating from Penn State in Anthropology/Archaeology. Why support Native American Arts and Crafts and, in turn, help to preserve an ancient culture? It's a "calling" - the work is beautiful, the workmanship is second to none, the innovative use of materials found in the environment is amazing. But it's also realizing that some of these cultures are on the brink of extinction, and that would be a shame for all of us. There's a bit more about me on my About Me page!

My site is trying to capture little glimpses into another culture through examining their works of various arts and understanding the "why", the "how" and the "now". Without cultural understanding, many misunderstandings can come up. Different cultures value different things and neither one is necessarily right or wrong ... just different. I care that these amazing contemporary artisans and their ancient cultures are given respect, dignity and a way to make a living and experience the "American Dream". I want to make a positive contribution to the world and I want these artisans' works to be recognized as making a contribution to their families, their communities and to the world.

Native Americans Resources is a great directory to explore if you want to find out more on just about anything Native American.