Glossary
Acllas
In the Inca Empire, 'chosen women' who were dedicated to religious service, weaving fine textiles for the state and religious rituals, and sometimes serving as wives for nobles.
Example:
The exquisite quality of Inca textiles, including the All-T'oqapu Tunic, is largely attributed to the skilled labor of the Acllas.
Adobe architecture
A building method using sun-dried bricks made of earth, clay, sand, and straw, characteristic of many Indigenous North American cultures, particularly in the Southwest, known for its thermal properties.
Example:
The multi-story cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde are prime examples of Ancestral Puebloan Adobe architecture, integrated seamlessly into the natural landscape.
All-T'oqapu Tunic
A highly significant Inca textile, characterized by its checkerboard pattern of small, square geometric motifs (t'oqapu), each representing a specific social group, place, or concept, signifying the Inca emperor's power and control over the empire.
Example:
The All-T'oqapu Tunic is a masterpiece of Inca weaving, its complex design communicating the vastness and order of the Inca Empire through abstract symbols.
Beadwork
The art of decorating surfaces with beads, often glass beads introduced through trade, used by many Native North American cultures to create intricate patterns on clothing, bags, and ceremonial objects.
Example:
Lakota Beadwork on a ceremonial pipe bag might depict symbolic motifs like the four directions or celestial bodies, reflecting spiritual beliefs.
Ceramics
Objects made from clay and hardened by heat, widely produced across Indigenous American cultures for utilitarian purposes like storage and cooking, as well as for ritual vessels and figurines.
Example:
The Mimbres people of the American Southwest are renowned for their black-on-white Ceramics, often featuring intricate animal and human figures.
Earthworks
Large-scale landscape modifications, such as mounds, effigy mounds, or geometric enclosures, created by Indigenous North American cultures for ceremonial, burial, or defensive purposes.
Example:
The Great Serpent Mound in Ohio is a famous Earthwork, an effigy mound shaped like a winding snake, believed to have astronomical or spiritual significance.
Featherwork
An artistic technique involving the intricate arrangement and attachment of feathers, often from rare birds, to create elaborate garments, headdresses, or ritual objects.
Example:
The stunning Featherwork cloaks of Hawaiian royalty, like the 'Ahu 'ula, showcased the wearer's high status and connection to the divine.
Functionality (of art)
The principle that Indigenous American art was primarily created to serve a practical, ritualistic, or communicative purpose, rather than solely for aesthetic appreciation.
Example:
A Navajo sand painting, while visually stunning, is created with a specific healing Functionality in mind, and is traditionally destroyed after the ceremony.
Geometric patterns (as motifs)
Recurring abstract shapes and designs, such as squares, triangles, spirals, or zigzags, widely used as decorative and symbolic elements across various Indigenous American art forms.
Example:
The intricate Geometric patterns on a Pueblo pottery vessel are not merely decorative but often convey cosmological meanings or clan affiliations.
Greenstone
A category of precious stones, often including jadeite or serpentine, highly valued in Indigenous American cultures for their rarity, durability, and symbolic associations with fertility, water, and life.
Example:
Olmec rulers often commissioned monumental sculptures and offerings from Greenstone, signifying their power and connection to sacred forces.
Hide painting
The artistic practice of decorating animal hides (such as bison or deer) with pigments, often depicting historical events, spiritual visions, or biographical narratives, common among Plains Native American groups.
Example:
Ledger art, a later form of Hide painting on paper, continued the tradition of visual storytelling among Plains warriors, documenting battles and daily life.
Material Hierarchy
A system in Indigenous American cultures where materials were ranked based on their rarity, the labor required to process them, and their cultural significance.
Example:
In ancient Mesoamerica, the vibrant plumage used in Material Hierarchy was often considered more valuable than common clay pottery due to its scarcity and the specialized skill needed to create intricate designs.
Metalwork
The art of shaping and decorating metals, such as gold, silver, or copper, into ornaments, ritual objects, or tools, often employing techniques like repoussé or lost-wax casting.
Example:
The Moche culture of ancient Peru created exquisite Metalwork, including elaborate gold ear spools depicting mythological figures, demonstrating their advanced metallurgical skills.
Obsidian
A naturally occurring volcanic glass, highly prized in Mesoamerica for its sharp edges when flaked, used to create tools, weapons, mirrors, and ritual blades.
Example:
Aztec priests used razor-sharp Obsidian blades in sacrificial rituals, believing the material held potent spiritual properties.
Plazas
Large, open public spaces, often centrally located within Mesoamerican urban centers, designed for communal gatherings, religious rituals, and elaborate burials.
Example:
The Great Plazas at Tikal served as a vibrant ceremonial hub, surrounded by towering temples and palaces, where thousands could gather for important events.
Post-and-Lintel
A fundamental architectural system consisting of strong horizontal elements (lintels) supported by strong vertical elements (posts), commonly used in stone construction in Mesoamerica.
Example:
Many Maya temples, like those at Palenque, employed Post-and-Lintel construction for their doorways and interior passages, allowing for large stone spans.
Pyramids (Mesoamerican)
Monumental stepped structures, often topped with temples, built by Mesoamerican civilizations for religious ceremonies, astronomical observation, and as burial sites for rulers.
Example:
The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon at Teotihuacan are massive examples of Mesoamerican architecture, aligned with celestial events and serving as centers of ritual.
Quillwork
A decorative art form practiced by various Native North American groups, involving the flattening, dyeing, and stitching of porcupine or bird quills onto surfaces like hide or birchbark to create intricate patterns.
Example:
The vibrant geometric designs on a traditional Anishinaabe pouch often feature delicate Quillwork, showcasing the artist's meticulous skill.
Relief sculptures
Sculptural elements carved into a flat surface, where the forms project outwards, commonly used in Mesoamerican architecture to depict mythological narratives, historical events, or deities.
Example:
The intricate Relief sculptures on the stelae at Copan narrate the dynastic history and divine lineage of Maya rulers.
Rock Art
Images created on natural rock formations, including pictographs (paintings) and petroglyphs (carvings), found across various Indigenous American cultures, often serving to communicate stories, beliefs, or historical events.
Example:
The ancient Fremont people of Utah left behind striking Rock Art panels depicting anthropomorphic figures and animals, offering glimpses into their spiritual world.
Shamanic figures (as motifs)
Representations of shamans or spiritual practitioners, often depicted in transformative states or with animal attributes, serving as recurring symbolic elements in Indigenous American art to convey spiritual power or connection to the supernatural.
Example:
Many ancient Olmec colossal heads are thought to represent rulers with Shamanic figures or jaguar-human transformations, emphasizing their spiritual authority.
Textiles
Woven fabrics, often intricately designed and produced, that served various purposes including clothing, ritual objects, and indicators of status or wealth in Indigenous American cultures.
Example:
The complex patterns and vibrant dyes of Andean Textiles were not just decorative; they often encoded historical narratives or social identities.
Wood
A versatile natural material used extensively in Indigenous American art for carving masks, totem poles, architectural elements, and everyday objects, often decorated with paint or inlays.
Example:
The Kwakwaka'wakw people of the Pacific Northwest Coast are famous for their elaborate carved Wood masks, used in ceremonial dances to embody ancestral spirits.