Native American Culture

Native Americans often use prayers and poetry as a way to express their respect for nature and to explore universal themes. A wedding also inspires this form of writing. Follow these steps to come...

Dream catchers were originally made by the Ojibwa (Chippewa) to protect their children from nightmares. Bad dreams were trapped in the web and burned away with the first light of the sun. You can...

Kachina (or katsina) dolls, decorated sculptures hand-carved from wood, represent the more than 250 Hopi gods or spiritual beings. First created in 1880, kachina dolls now appear in art museums,...

You've heard stories for years about how a distant relative was Native American. You've always wondered if it was true. Curiosity about Native American ancestors is booming, with increasing...

Smudge sticks are used in traditional Native American ceremonies to purify people and places. There are similar ceremonies in many cultures where herbs are burned for cleansing. Smudging can be...

For anyone other than an Intuit or someone who has spent time living with them, the idea of staying warm in an igloo probably conjures up images of a generator, space heater, massive down parka...

North and South America were hardly empty when Christopher Columbus ran into a Caribbean island while trying to reach India. They were populated by millions of native peoples with diverse...

A teepee is the most well known movable home. It provides ample room and doesn't get blown away by strong winds. The greatest part about a teepee is that you can burn a fire inside of it because...

Kachina dolls are colorful representations of Hopi earth and sky spirits. These dolls are made from blocks of wood and sometimes festooned with feathers and bright costumes. Some popular Kachinas...

Native American drums are built from various local natural materials. The drum head is made from stretched hide. To build a high quality Native American drum requires patience. Native American...

The richness of Native American culture and beliefs is reflected in their stories. They will seem simplistic or bizarre to you if you don't educate yourself. Learn about the American Indian way of...

Although one may buy a jingle dress, traditionally a dancer or her family made them. The most important aspect of the dress is the jingle cone, which was traditionally rolled from tobacco can lids...

Brightly colored ribbons or yarn fringes drape the Native American Grass Dancer. The Grass Dance originated as a ceremonial dance by the men of northern Plains tribes. Over the years, different...

Listen for musical jingling at a pow wow and you've found the Jingle Dance. Legend says that this women's dance started as a healing dance. Women wearing jingle dresses took sideways steps around...

Native Americans have danced in ceremonies for generations and it is a well-known part of their culture. Each dance has its own meaning and reason for performing it. There are several fundamental...

If you are headed to a costume party or attending a cultural festival, you might be thinking about dressing like an Indian (properly termed Native American). Whether you are looking for a quick...

The Pow Wow is the Native Americans' historic gathering to dance, sing and visit with old and new friends. When you attend a Pow Wow, you should think of yourself as a welcomed guest. Return this...

Communicating thoughts and ideas can be a problem. Others may disagree with you and have suggestions of their own that they wish to eagerly air. The Native Americans had a remedy for this by using...

This mini-Drum is a nice decoration and a great way to recycle your coffee, or other large cans.

Does your child suffer from the occasional nightmare? Do you tend to wake up in the middle of the night sweating and scared half to death by a vivid and scary dream? Look no further. The...

A Native American flute makes soft airy sounds. It is made of soft wood, such as Cedar, Redwood or Juniper. Traditionally, Native American flautists improvised or learned songs from one another....

Of the over 500 Native American tribes recognized in the U.S., the Cherokee Nation has the largest membership. When the Europeans arrived in North America, the Cherokee people inhabited a large...

Cherokee medicine uses a medicinal and spiritual system called Nvwoti that has been progressively developing over the last 4,000 years. Nvwoti works on the Cherokee belief that the "Green People,"...

Cherokee medicine is based on a spiritual and medical system carefully developed for over more than 4,000 years known as Nvwoti. Cherokee herbalist use Nvwoti to communicate with plants, which...

Nvwoti is a 4,000 year old medical and spiritual system developed by the Cherokee as a way to administer herbal medicine. Cherokee herbalists use Nvwoti to communicate with plants, which they call...

Cherokee medicine, a medicinal and spiritual system known as Nvwoti, has been used for more than 4,000 years by the Cherokee people. By increasing your awareness of the "Great Life," or your...

Nvwoti is a 4,000 year old system of Cherokee medicine which seeks to achieve a natural balance between human and earth. Part of the natural balance is controlling population growth through the...

For more than 4,000 years the Cherokee people have used a medicinal and spiritual system of medicine they call Nvwoti. Cherokee herbalists use Nvwoti to communicate with plants, which they call...

Nvwoti is the medicinal and spiritual system of Cherokee medicine. Nvwoti has been practiced for more than 4,000 years by the Cherokee people who communicate with nature and plants, or "Green...

Native Americans are known for their colorful embroidery of clothing and household objects. They became masters at extracting the natural dyes contained in vegetables and plants. By purchasing...

Native Americans of the Great Plains decorated nearly everything they wore. Perhaps their most prized possessions displayed their talent for intricate beadwork, such as their beadwork headbands....

Coiled pots made by the Anasazi centuries ago remain beautiful even to this day. The Anasazi used the pots for cooking, food storage and for display in their dwellings. You can duplicate these...

Do you perk up when you smell coffee brewing? Does your memory awaken with the smell of freshly mowed grass? Your sense of smell is powerful in relaxing, warning or reviving you. Here you'll...

The issue of racial sensitivity with sports mascots has become an increasingly touchy issue in recent years, with several college teams changing their nicknames. St. John's University, for...

An aura is the energy field or life force that surrounds each living thing. Auric color healing techniques have been practiced for over 5,000 years in many cultures. Native American color healing...

Some Native American legends suggest that we choose spirit guides before we are born to help us through the trials we will face in life or show us the paths we need to follow. You can tap the...

Many Native Americans tribes have developed healing therapies using crystals. While the specifics of ritual practice with crystals varies greatly among tribes and practitioners, the basic concepts...

The term shamanism, while not actually used in Native American cultures, describes a system of beliefs that involve communication with the spirit world. Native American culture believes that a...

Vision quests can help us to strengthen our hearts and minds and change our perceptions of the world; however, they are not for everyone. The experiences of a vision quest can not be guaranteed,...

Totem animals or power animals are similar to spirit guides and everyone has at least one, whether they perceive them or not. A power animal provides you with emotional and energetic support and...

Santa Fe, "The City Different," is New Mexico’s state capital and a popular destination for those with a spiritual bent. This southwestern gem is a haven for artists, healers and progressive...

For all the high rollers out there, nothing spells class like rolling your own cigarettes with a dollar bill. As your fellow members of the upper echelon ride stolen bikes past your trailer, they...

Dream catchers are an ancient Native American tradition and are used for a variety of reasons. Dream catchers are commonly thought to "catch" dreams to help you remember them, to trap nightmares...

At the end of the week, do you find yourself collapsing in exhaustion? Does juggling your personal life, your family life and your work life leave you drained? One way to renew your energy is to...

Families are known to have long standing traditions. When men and women venture away from their families, those traditions often fall by the wayside. When a couple starts their life together,...

Europeans are fascinated with Native American culture. Their fascination can be traced to Karl May’s novels. These early 20th century novels romanticized the history of the American West. In...

Totem animals represent a person’s spirit. Knowing which animal is yours can help you understand yourself better. Totem animals may appear in your dreams or it may be an animal to which you feel...

Not all Native American pottery is the same. The clay and the artwork is not the same. The more one learns of the differences the more interesting it becomes as a hobby, as a source of travel...

As we all know, America is a melting pot of nationalities. It’s not unusual for most of us to have a hodgepodge of ethnic backgrounds. And asking someone where his family is from can often result...

Polar bears are more than popular zoo attractions and iconic Coca-Cola mascots. They have also served as a staple of the far northern diet, where vegetation is nearly nonexistent. Polar bear meat...