The Legend and the History – The Dance and the Regalia
This article about the Native American Gourd Dance was written by Paul R. Burke in 1989. We are presenting it here in its original format with his permission.
The Gourd Dance
Category: Informational
Turquoise: How do I tell real from manufactured
Turquoise: How do I tell real from fake?
Turquoise has been in use for over 6,000 years worldwide. Native people in the Southwest have used turquoise for well over 2,000 years for trade, a spiritual connection and to adorn jewelry.
Continue reading Turquoise: How do I tell real from manufactured
Beads Used by Native American Crafters
Native American culture has a rich history of using beads for both ceremonial and decorative purposes. Seed beads, in particular, have been an integral part of Native American culture for centuries. In this article, you will read about a variety of beads and their use by Native American crafters.
Birchbark Crafting
Crafting with Birchbark
Items made from Birchbark
Native Americans who live in the northern regions of North America use the bark of the ‘paper’ Birch tree to make many useful and decorative items. They use large pieces of Birchbark to cover their dwellings. Entire canoes with wood frames are made with strips of this bark. Birchbark rolled into a triangular tube serves as a Moose call for hunters. 
Crafters create a variety of containers to hold and carry food. Rogans are a type of basket that often has a trapezoidal shape with a narrower top. Berry Baskets come with h
andles to carry them. Shallow trays or round containers with the inside treated with pitch can be used to cook food or carry liquids. Fish Creels with small openings in the lid hold the fisherman’s catch of the day.
In more recent times, crafters started using Birchbark to make picture frames, decorative mats, decorated boxes with lids, ornaments and jewelry.
Gourd Dance Blankets
The gourd dance is a Kiowa dance ceremony which honors all warriors and veterans. The modern Gourd Dance regalia consists of a red and blue blanket draped over the shoulders. There are several available methods of folding the blanket.
Osha Root for protection energy and health
What is Osha Root?
For more than a millennia, Osha Root has been used by Native Americans. This perennial herb is found in deep rich soil in the mountains of the US and Mexico and is known by many different names: osha root, Porter’s lovage, Porter’s licorice-root, Porter’s wild lovage, Porter’s ligusticum, bear medicine, bear root, lovage, wild lovage, Indian root, Indian parsley, wild parsley, mountain ginseng, mountain carrot, nipo, empress of the dark forest, overoot, Colorado cough root, chuchupate, chuchupati, chuchupaste, chuchupatle, guariaca, hierba del cochino or yerba de cochino, raíz del cochino, and washí (tarahumara).
Sweetgrass
Sweetgrass
Sweetgrass, Hierochloe Odorata, is a beautiful sacred plant growing in the northern half of the U.S., up to the arctic circle. Sometimes called Buffalo Grass or Vanilla Grass, it spreads by underground rhizomes and prefers damp lowland areas. Because of its connection to water and its sweet smell it is considered feminine. People use it for ceremonies and healing along with sage and cedar. Continue reading Sweetgrass
The Denver Art Museum Leaflet Series
The Denver Art Museum Leaflet Series
These leaflets were prepared by F.H. Douglas, curator of Indian Art at the Denver Art Museum.
Each leaflet has four to eight pages. The first page carries the title and a picture relative to the subject of the leaflet. The remaining pages are devoted to the text, which is divided into boldly marked subject headings. Each leaflet also contains a bibliography for further reading. Leading authorities on the various subjects were asked to approve the texts before publication.
Hand Made Dolls
Hand Made Dolls
If there is a universal child’s toy, it may well be a doll. Whether hastily made from scrap material at hand, or painstakingly made to exacting detail, dolls “speak” to our humanity. At first glance, dolls are simple play-things… suffering the ravages of many other mere “toys”. However, there are many other reasons dolls are created and decorated for children. Dolls may also be used to teach children important cultural and educational lessons in dress, hair style, adornment and dexterity.
Some dolls are created for specific purposes or occasions. Others are made with whimsy and artistic license. There are no limits to the variety of dolls. This author is particularly interested in beadwork as a decorative medium. By making a basic cloth doll body, there are unlimited ways to construct and decorate these miniature personalities. Continue reading Hand Made Dolls
Native Americans and Buffalo
Native Americans and Buffalo
Native Americans and Buffalo have a long history together. Buffalo, or the American Bison, has played an essential role in the survival and culture of the Native Americans who lived in the Plains region of what is now the United States, and parts of southern Canada. Buffalo once roamed the Plains in innumerable herds until the middle of the 19th century. Incursions by white settlers and the arrival of the railroad severely depleted the number of Buffalo living on the Plains. Native Americans use of every part of a Buffalo for food, clothing, tools, fuel and utensils. Continue reading Native Americans and Buffalo
Crafting is Fun and Good for You
Native American Crafting is Good for You
Crafting is an activity that brings different ideas to mind, depending on who is considering it. Some remember rainy day activities that involved empty containers and construction paper, others think of projects that involve buying supplies to create a particular item, and some consider it an everyday activity that is part of their lifestyle.
Crafting has had different purposes throughout human history. Creating functional objects from raw materials is certainly an important aspect of crafting. Expressing emotions, beliefs and esthetic ideals is another. Satisfying an inner desire to create by fashioning something beautiful or unexpected is a basic human trait.
What is the appeal of crafting today? Are there benefits for the crafter? Continue reading Crafting is Fun and Good for You
Leather Types
Leather is a durable and flexible material created by tanning animal skins. Tanning animal skins into leather is a process which alters the protein structure of the animal’s skin. Tanning can be performed by several different methods. At The Wandering Bull Native American Trading Post you will find several different leather types to choose from. Continue reading Leather Types
