Native American Art (Unit 3)

colonization

Major theme of Native American art

Colombus’s sail to the Americas

Started centuries-long period of European colonization in North and South America

piece together

What has to be done with the histories of these civilizations, because so much has been lost

native identity and artistic traditions

There’s been a concerted effort to reclaim this in North and South America

indigenous artist traditions

Weren’t afforded the same amount of scholarly attention as their colonial and postcolonial successors until the 20th century

lesser than

What indigenous artistic traditions were made out to be in the Western view

post-Renaissance Western European aesthetic

Many mistakenly try to interpret indigenous traditions within the framework of this, when it has nothing to do with it

modern-day Mexico city

Built on top of Tenochtitlan

Tecnochtitlan

Capital of the Aztec Empire

Aztec Empire

Short-lived but incredibly powerful, flourished throughout Central America

Mayans and Olmecs

Aztecs took over after these ancient civilizations died out

Cortez

The Spanish leader who conducted the destruction of Aztec culture

adapting and modifying pre-existing traditions

One of the things the Aztecs were adept at, refining what the Mayans and Olmecs had already done

disparate peoples, traditions, and cultures

The Aztec Empire was composed of a multitude of these

unify traditions together

The Aztecs tried to find a way to do this to create a somewhat coherent empire

massive pantheon of deities

What makes Aztec religion highly complex, comprised of a mix of new, wholly Aztec inventions and ancient deities from earlier Mesoamerican civlizations

periodically destroyed and recreated

What the Aztecs believed the world to be, possessing different conceptions of the past, present, and future than our western understanding. Cyclical

highly organized system of rituals

The Aztecs had this, including bloodletting and sacrifices, to ensure the favor of the gods

rituals to appease the gods

Overriding theme to Aztec art and architecture

an absolute marvel of engineering

What Tenochtitlan was known for being, praised by Europeans. Highly organized and finely-tuned

manmade island

What Tenochtitlan was built on

causeways arranged in a grid pattern

Allowed access in and out of Tenochtitlan

mythological significance

What Tenochtitlan had, like everything else in Aztec culture

founding myth of Tenochtitlan

People founded the city based on seeing a good omen

good omen

What the founders of Tenochtitlan interpreted an eagle on top of a prickly pear to be

seated rulers

Part of the founding tapestry - represent various former rulers of Tenochtitlan, with hieroglyphic-like symbols that speak to their names

sacred walled precinct and central building

At the center of Tenochtitlan

giant pyramid

Within the walled precinct, with two temples on top of it

Tlaloc

Ancient rain deity - used in Aztec religion, but its origins are unknown

Huitzilopochtli

The sun deity - very much an Aztec invention

blending of old and new traditions

The arrangement of the temples on the Tenochtitlan pyramid is speaking to this, featuring an original Aztec deity and a much older one

highly complex religion and the belief in the cyclical nature of the universe

These two elements of Aztec culture make figuring their art and architecture very difficult

winter rainy season

Sun rose behind the temple of the rain deity

summer

Sun rose behind the temple of the sun deity

equinox

Sun rose between the two temples

astrological significance

What the Tenochtitlan temples are arranged with - based on the rising and setting of the sun

human sacrifice

Practiced regularly at the Tenochtitlan temple

the sun

At the Tenochtitlan temple, human sacrifice was regularly practiced to ensure the continuation of this - and, by extension, the Aztec Empire. An act of keeping the present time period alive

huge staircases

Where human sacrifice victims were guided up before getting their hearts cut out and being rolled to the bottom

dynamic, violent

Traits of Aztec sculpture

Goddess Coatlicue

Aztec sculpture of the mother goddess giving birth to her sun, the sun god, and the moment of her violent death

solidly built, blocky, but very intricate

Structure and look of Aztec sculptures

painted

What much of Aztec sculptural work would have been

intertwining snakes

Comprises the mother goddess’s skirt in Goddess Coatlicue

human hands, hearts, and skulls

Comprises the mother goddess’s necklace in Goddess Coatlicue

two serpents facing each other

At the mother goddess’s head in Goddess Coatlicue, representing her blood after being decapitated

bloody violence

Essential element of Aztec religious beliefs. Rebirth and regeneration were thought to be born out of this. In the cycle of regeneration, the world is torn down and rebuilt through bloodshed

their illustrated manuscripts

A key source of our knowledge about the Aztecs

destroying illuminated manuscripts

In an attempt to eradicate Aztec culture and substitute it with European-informed culture, this was an effective method used by the Spanish

North, South, East, West, and center

The five cardinal directions the Aztecs identified

god of fire, time, and the calendar

At the center of Aztec piece A View of the World

Christianity

The religion imposed on the Aztecs during the colonial period by the Spanish

A View of the World

An Aztec piece representing their conception of a calendar year, featuring a god at the center, paths, and deities, seasons, and ritual events

eight lobed path

Extends out of the god in View of the World

260 dots

Represent the days of the Aztec calendar year in the View of the World

symmetry, order

Elements of View of the World, indicating the Aztecs’ conception of the universe as a highly ordered place despite their firm belief in the power of violence

Calendar Stone

Aztec calendar from ~1500, absolutely massive

fifth age

The period the Aztecs believed they lived in following four eras/suns, four destructions and recreations of the universe

center

Where the Aztecs represented themselves in their Calendar Stone

four other suns

Featured around the Aztecs in the center, represented by cartouches and the Calendar Stone

The Inca

Major power in South America at this time

present-day Cusco, Peru

Where the Inca was based

Inca (position)

What the highly diverse Incan Empire was ruled by

technological achievement

What the Inca rules by instead of brute force or violence like the Aztecs

pledge system

How the Incan Empire functioned, providing the benefits of their civilization to those who had joined them

Machu Picchu

One of the grandest and most well-preserved of the Inca projects

9000

In the Andes mountains, Machu Picchu is this many feet above sea level. Very high elevation

integrating buildings into the natural landscape

One of the hallmarks of the Incan style, meaning site-specific projects like Machu Picchu

working with location

Machu Picchu’s terraced city following the slope of the mountainside and its open plazas with tight clusters of enclosed spaces were indicative of this

stone

What the Incas primarily built with

thatched roofs

What the Incas used to cover their buildings

hand-carved and mortarless

How the stones were assembled in Machu Picchu

naturalistic

The aesthetic effect of Machu Picchu with its imperfections and integration into the natural environment

textiles

Have a long, rich history in the Andes region. In Incan society, it denoted something about its wearer

position within society

What the Tunic represents

symbolic meanings

Designs on Incan tunics were not only decorative but also had this, acting as a written language

many miniature tunics

What the Tunic represents featuring design elements from many other tunics

checkered pattern tunics

The kind of tunics worn by military officials

llamas

Vital to life in the Andes, providing transportation, food and fiber. Part of many Incan works and assumed a central part

Llama

One of the last remaining examples of Incan metalwork

Incan metalwork

Only few examples of this still exist, since Spanish explorers confiscated and melted down their massive quantities of silver and gold items

smaller groups

What North American people existed in, not building lavish urban centers like those in South America. Meaning a diverse array of beliefs, artistic traditions, and ways of life

anthropological interest

Problematically, Native American art was viewed as having this, being purely “tools,” and no aesthetic value or artistic tradition

small, utilitarian, and ephemeral

Characteristics of the objects produced by North American culture; not created with the idea it would last for centuries

continual creation

Part of North American tradition, remaking objects even after their initial creation

hunting, gathering, and agriculture

What most inhabitants of the Eastern woodlands depended on

powerful alliances

What those in the Eastern woodlands formed so they could hold the first European colonizers in check

symbiotic relationship

What Eastern Woodlanders created with the original, first wave of European colonizers. Permanently broken after more Europeans arrived and used their military technology to conquer them

Wampum

Small shells or beads used by woodlands people to create decorative objects. Sometimes used as a form of currency

Wampum belts

Often created to commemorate important events. Acted as legal documents

Wampum Belt (William Penn’s Treaty with the Delaware)

Created in commemoration of the treaty between William Penn and the Delaware people

William Penn

Founder of modern-day Pennsylvania. Made a deal with the Delaware people

equals

What the figures in the Wampum Belt are illustrated as, being of equal size, speaking to the initial symbiotic relationship between the colonizers and native peoples

Quillwork, beadwork, basketwork, and textile work

Arts primarily practiced by women in the Eastern Woodlands

Quillwork

Soaking and dying porcupine quills and weaving them into various patterns

Baby Carrier

From the Eastern Sioux, decorated with symbols of protection to ward off evil spirits

Bandolier Bag

Decorative elements of this had a communicative purpose to them, indicating something about the creator or the person wearing them. Beads from settlers allowed for greater expression of more information

glass beads

Greatly appreciated by Native Americans, from the Europeans. Their introduction to the Americans was similar to a technological advancement. Used in bandolier bags

blend of cultures as they were pushed westward

Makes studying Native American traditions and cultures difficult as colonization pushed west, pushing people out of their homelands and into contact with new cultures. What’s behind them was destroyed, with things being added and lost when interacting with new cultures

nomadic

Lifestyle in the great plains area