Native American Symbols
We are often asked by customers about the meaning of designs used in American Indian arts and crafts, particularly on jewelry and pottery.
While it is true that many design symbols represent specific ideas or things taken from a Native American cultural context, it is also true that many are only peripherally related to the culture or religious beliefs of a particular tribe.
What is significant to one tribe may or may not be meaningful to another tribe, or it may be interpreted in a different way. Many symbols are just an artist’s interpretation of a pleasing pattern or patterns that look good together.
In this section, we shall discuss some of the most common symbols found in native american art, crafts, and cultures.
Symbols are visual clues that indicate or represent something. For the Pueblo Indians, colors have come to represent directions symbolically. For instance, for the Hopi, yellow represents north, white represents east, red represents south, blue represents west, and black represents "above." For centuries, the Hopi have grown maize in each of these colors.
All tribes have a form of medicine wheel. There is no single answer as to its meaning. The Anishnaabek often referred to the medicine wheel as the CIRCLE OF LIFE symbolizing the natural cycles of birth, growth, death, and regeneration.
Continue to Anishnaabek (Ojibwe) interpretation of the medicine wheel →
Totem carvings tell a story, revealed only if one knows the meaning assigned to various animals, fish, birds and designs and where they are placed. Here are the meanings of some common northwest indian symbols.Continue to Northwest Indian Symbols and their meanings →
The examples below are a small sample of the total number of symbols used by the Great Plains people. Not every tribe used these same examples, however, as with sign languages, they were often used as a common means of communication to convey a central idea.
The examples below are but a small sample of the total number of symbols used by the Great Plains people. Not every tribe used these same examples, however, as with sign languages, they were often used as a common means of communication to convey a central idea.
Southwest Indian Symbols… KEYWORDS: southwest indian symbols of indigenous peoples american indian symbol hopi symbol navajo symbol sacred symbols mother earth symbol kokopelli flute player symbol Hopi nakwách symbol of brotherhood friendship symbol fertility symbol sign of the Elder War God Hopi God of Death Maasaw connected circles keptevipi Tapu’a Mother Earth symbol of spiritual rebirth House of Teuhu Here is a brief explanation of some Southwest Indian symbols. height=70 alt=”” src=”https://www.aaanativearts.com/wp-content/uploads/2004/11/brotherhood_symbol.gif” width=72 border=0 align=”left”> src=”water_symbol.gif” width=50 border=0 align=”right”>The two…