About Wichita Indian Art

The Wichita Indians originated from the area that is now northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. As European populations spread over North America, the Wichita moved north to Kansas, and the city of Wichita, Kansas, is named after them. Today, most Wichita Indians live in Oklahoma. Wichita artists are most famous for their beading, hide paintings and pottery.

Significance

Archaeologists have found Wichita art to be immensely useful in tracing the tribe's history. For example, Wichita Indians normally didn't use gold or silver in their beads because gold and silver were not readily available in their plains area. Therefore, when gold or silver beads were found in excavation sites, archaeologists knew that the Wichita had been trading with other tribes from more mountainous areas.

Types

Wichita artists have used many different mediums for their artwork. The most common are hide paintings, pottery, and beading. The Wichita painted on animal hides to depict scenes, and these scenes are extremely valuable in teaching us about their history and culture. These scenes often portray battles and warriors.

Wichita pottery comes in many shapes and sizes, including pottery pipes, which have been found at excavation sites in Kansas particularly. Making pottery was traditionally made exclusively by the women in the Wichita tribe, and they didn't make as much pottery as some other tribes, such as the Caddo.

Many of the beads found at Wichita excavation sites are made out of bone or shell, particularly mussel shells. Turquoise beads have also been found, along with awls for making the little holes in the centers of the beads.

Identification

It is often difficult for researchers to differentiate between Wichita art and art from other tribes. Many of the pieces, hide paintings especially, resemble each other to a great degree. This perhaps explains that the tribes had a great deal of contact with each other. In trading goods with each other, they also traded ideas and artistic styles.

Geography

The geography of the Wichita tribe obviously affected their art. They could only produce art with the resources found on the land, and the land is a plain, best for grazing. Therefore, they had access to animal hides, bones, and the earth beneath them. They painted on the animal hides, made beads from the bones, and made clay from the earth.
Wichita art has been found from North Texas to Kansas, with the oldest artifacts being found in the southernmost areas of this region.

Potential

Today, however, most Wichita artists live in Oklahoma. Many of these modern Wichita artists combine elements of their ancestor's art with modern ideas and techniques. Because the Wichita are not isolated from the broader world as they once were, today's artists combine the best of the past with the limitless possibilities of the present.

Resources

• Wichita tribal history