This comprehensive account is largely derived from the Metropolitan Museum, located in mid-Manhattan, North America. I examined the informational signage and plaques, conducted further research online, and reflected on the significance and intent of the extensive collection housed within this esteemed institution. I contend that the study of history must be approached with a philosophical perspective, as we have not personally experienced the past; thus, we must interpret the meanings behind the artifacts presented in the museum. The Native Americans gallery within this museum ranks one of the smallest galleries but it focuses the artifacts they made.
I found myself genuinely fascinated by the study of Native Americans, particularly regarding their identity, the factors contributing to their decline, their historical environments, and the essence of their existence. As I stood before the impressive skyscrapers of Manhattan, I was taken aback to realize that this area was once home to American Indians, who now appear to be largely forgotten or marginalized in the physical landscape, maps, and shared memory. I had the opportunity to explore both the Metropolitan Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. I am recording my findings here to fulfill my interest in their historical narrative.
The metro museum focuses specifically on its artistic collection, primarily highlighting significant Native American aesthetic expressions. This includes various forms such as painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, quill and bead embroidery, basketry, and ceramics.
Most of the items in this museum showcase, items made to be worn; to nourish; to hunt, defend, and
protect; to cradle the young; and to restore balance and wellness—are from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Also included are modern and contemporary artworks that demonstrate unbroken aesthetic lineages. All were created against the backdrop of ongoing Euro-American colonialism and environmental devastation.
These items are classifed according to the regions they lived in North America and Canada and South America.
Agriculture: The cultivation of corn, beans, and squash
Pottery: The production of distinctive styles of pottery
Burial mounds: The construction of burial mounds
Tools: The use of the bow and arrow, which replaced the spear-thrower
Housing: The construction of houses made from bent saplings, reed mats, or bark sheets
Indigenous peoples inhabited various areas across North and South America. Today, they continue to reside in numerous regions throughout the Americas, including Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. The Metropolitan Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian feature exhibitions that showcase the traditions and artifacts utilized by Native Americans. These displays are thoughtfully organized according to the respective cultural regions : Woodland, Northwest Coast, Arctic, California and Great Basin and Plains.
Woodland cultures– Native Americans in eastern North America and Canada
The creation of art in the Woodlands, similar to the practices of various historical Native cultures across the United States and Canada, frequently encompassed religious aspects. Art from the Woodlands during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries reflects beliefs that have been transmitted through generations and illustrates the development of lasting artistic forms and techniques. Its imagery represents the
The imagery depicted illustrates the connections between humanity and the supernatural forces that impose structure upon the universe. Employing traditional materials, artists produced works such as porcupine quillwork, finger weaving, and sculptures crafted from wood and stone. The introduction of new materials obtained through trade with Euro-Americans—such as glass beads, silk ribbon, silver, and wool yarn—significantly altered the design of clothing, regalia, and various other artistic expressions.
As early as the sixteenth century, Woodlands peoples traded furs and food to Europeans for utilitarian and luxury items-glass beads, woven cloth, metal tools, and guns. Conflicts increased when Europeans sought to acquire land and establish political authority. The United States government attempted to forcibly remove and eradicate Woodlands peoples. Through adaptation, resistance, and resilience, Native groups maintained distinct nations and cultures.
Both women and men wore sashes of this type tied around the waist on important occasions; men also wore them across the chest as bandoliers and used smaller versions as turbans. Although made of trade materials, sashes such as this one show a continuation of earlier weaving techniques.
For centuries, Chitimacha artists (a Native American tribe who lived in Louisiana for 6,000 years. They were one of the most powerful tribes in the northern Gulf of Mexico coast in 1650) and families have harvested river cane from extensive cane breaks, or “cane forests,” along the wetlands in the southeastern United States. This practice continues through intergenerational knowledge held by select artists. Individually woven strips of split river cane support the double- weave pattern of the larger trunk and lid. Eye-catching dyes of red, black, and yellow accentuate the ancestral weaving designs referencing plants, animals, and local environments-on the lid, a continuous “Worm Track” pattern, and on the trunk, a “Muscadine Rind” motif that visually punctuates the sidewalls. Expressing connections to land and water, the time- honored designs offer striking contrast to the bold diagonal stripes. On the smaller double-weave basket and lid, yellow “Alligator Entrails” meander vertically, while tiny animal tracks define the lid’s shape and sides.
Headdress created by an Anishinaabe artist, belonging to the Ojibwe or Cree tribes from the United States or Canada, circa 1800 AD. This piece is constructed from trade cloth, porcupine quills, animal hair, and beads.
The shot pouch is crafted from porcupine quills, animal hair, and natural pigments and dyes.
Quillwork, a traditional textile-making technique practiced by Native American women for centuries, is unique to indigenous communities across North America. Quilled items are esteemed for their intricate craftsmanship, which requires significant skill and features a radiant quality, enhanced by meticulous stitching, complex designs, and vibrant colors. The process of quillwork involves communal artistic labor: porcupine or bird quills are harvested, cleaned, sorted, trimmed, and flattened to ensure flexibility before being sewn onto materials such as animal hide, birchbark, or fabric by the artisans. The displayed items showcase four distinct techniques: plaiting, wrapping, folding, and layering. Geometric designs necessitate quills of varying lengths and widths. Natural hues are obtained by boiling quills with plants, flowers, berries, or nuts, while the introduction of nineteenth-century aniline dyes has allowed for the creation of more vivid reds and blues.
Jones is recognized for revitalizing traditional Haudenosaunee ceramic techniques, fostering connections between Indigenous community members and emerging generations of artists with Iroquois pottery. He crafted this pot using ancient methods; its rounded base is designed to distribute heat evenly, while the hand-coiled body has been smoothed and thinned through paddling. The pit-fired vessel features a richly adorned neck with four faces integrated into the incised designs, referencing origin narratives and clan histories. By merging traditional forms with contemporary design elements, Jones creates vessels that reflect Haudenosaunee identity. The term Haudenosaunee refers to the Six Nations Confederacy, which comprises the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes. The Iroquois represent a collection of Native American tribes that spoke Iroquoian languages and inhabited what is now New York, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and Quebec. The Iroquois people identify themselves as Haudenosaunee, meaning “people of the longhouse,” while their rivals, the Algonquins, referred to them as Iroquois, translating to “rattlesnake.”
Northwest Coast cultures – Native Americans in present-day British Columbia, Canada to Northern California
“Northwest Coast cultures” refers to the collective traditional practices, art forms, and social structures of Native American tribes inhabiting the Pacific coast region stretching from present-day British Columbia, Canada to Northern California, known for their reliance on abundant seafood, complex social hierarchies, and distinctive art forms like totem poles (monuments created out of red cedar, a malleable wood) , often featuring intricate carvings representing family lineages and spiritual beings; notable tribes include the Haida, Tlingit, and Kwakiutl.
Northwest Coast cultures are distinguished by their intricate sculptural artistry and a sophisticated system of abstract visual representations, which serve to depict a diverse array of entities through paintings, relief carvings, engravings, and textiles. Artists from this area often create works that showcase animal ancestors and clan heritage. Elaborate ritual performances reinforce social structures and convey origin narratives. The masks, rattles, and amulets utilized by shamans, who are spiritual practitioners, illustrate spirit beings, the shaman’s trance state during practice, and the conveyance of supernatural power.
The arrival of non-Native individuals on the Northwest Coast in the late seventeenth century introduced both opportunities and challenges. Numerous communities gained from the maritime and land-based fur trades, which provided new avenues for wealth and social standing. However, these interactions also brought about disease and violence. The impacts of settler colonialism reached the Northwest Coast in the mid- to late eighteenth century, occurring later than in certain regions of eastern Native North America.
Portrait Figure, British Columbia, circa 1840, created from wood and pigment. This intricately carved figure represents a Haida woman dressed in a pleated cotton garment, holding what appears to be a wafer. In the mid-nineteenth century, members of the Haida community often journeyed to Victoria, British Columbia, situated five hundred miles south of their traditional lands, known as Haida Gwaii or the Queen Charlotte Islands. It is plausible that the woman acquired her clothing during one of these excursions, and the wafer may symbolize the Christian Eucharist, suggesting a possible conversion to Christianity.
The Haida are an Indigenous people from the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. They identify themselves as Xaayda, Xaadas, Xaad, or Xaat, while “Haida” is an Anglicized term derived from their language, meaning “to be human, to be a Haida.”
Clapper, British Columbia, circa 1830-1860, constructed from wood, pigment, vegetal fiber, and copper wire. This refined carving narrates the mythical tale of Raven, who ascends with the sun upon his back after freeing it from the Box of Daylight. The object functions as a basic percussive instrument known as a clapper, composed of two hollowed sections connected at the handle. When shaken during traditional ceremonies, the two parts strike each other, producing a clapping sound. The sun’s face, along with Raven’s wings and eye, features the distinctive formline carving typical of the Northwest Coast.
Bowl created by an Anishinaabe artist, likely from Ottawa. The abstract representation of a human head emerging from the bowl’s rim may symbolize an aspect of Anishinaabe oral tradition or a personal narrative of the original owner. This sculptural piece is characterized by its elegantly elongated form, gently curved walls, delicate rim, intricately patterned wood grain, and a rich, luminous hue. Belt Cup crafted by an Anishinaabe artist, possibly Ojibwe, from Ottawa or Cree origins is in this exhibit.
Woman’s Hood produced by an Ojibwa artist from Ontario, Michigan, or Wisconsin, circa 1860, made from wool cloth, silk ribbon, and glass beads. During the mid-nineteenth century, women from the Cree and Ojibwa communities fashioned wool hoods for various purposes, including travel, church attendance, and ceremonial occasions. The design typically featured three panels adorned with floral motifs and beaded fringes. In this instance, a stylized, lace-like pattern embellishes one of the earlier examples from the James Bay Cree, while more realistic representations are found in the later version. The Ojibwa hood also showcases floral designs, with its panels displaying a variety of colors. Recent academic research indicates that these hoods may have held spiritual significance.
Third Phase Chief Blanket by a Navajo artist, dated 1865 AD is “chief blanket,” which refers to the leadership structures of Plains Indians, exemplifies the refined craftsmanship and intergenerational knowledge inherent in Navajo (Dine) textiles. It is woven from Churro wool and dyed with indigo, cochineal, and plant-based dyes, with the weaving process attributed to the Navajo Spider Woman.
Life after Death, below, reimagined by artist Elias Jade, born in 1990, is a compelling artwork that incorporates a variety of materials, including antique and vintage glass seed beads, handmade brain-tanned leather, smoked deer hide, tanned elk hide, 200 bull elk ivory pieces, wood, freshwater seed pearls, ermine tails, shell casings, sinew, vintage brass tacks, and ermine pelts. This piece symbolizes the enduring presence of the deer even after death, manifested through this artistic creation.
As a self-taught artist and designer, Elias Jade skillfully combines both antique and contemporary materials, such as Venetian glass seed beads and bullet casings, to draw attention to the historical violence endured by Indigenous peoples as a result of ongoing settler-colonialism. For Elias Jade, the process of beading serves as a means of mourning and healing, reflecting on personal experiences: “Coming from a very large family, you attend a lot of birthdays and funerals.”
Cradleboard Oklahoma by Kiowa artist, 1875 AD. This cradleboard is constructed from tanned leather, rawhide, wood, pigment, glass beads, wool cloth, cotton cloth, brass tacks, and brass link chain.
In certain Plains communities, maternal relatives create cradleboards to honor the arrival of new life. The intricately beaded panels feature designs crafted by Kiowa women, while the painted and brass-tacked frames provide protection for the infant, likely made by a male family member. Cradleboards allow the child to be carried on the mother’s back, suspended from a saddle, or supported against a tree or a shelter such as a tipi. This particular cradleboard exhibits considerable signs of use, indicating it has been cherished and passed down through multiple generations. Cradleboards remain in use among various Native American communities today.
Arctic native Indians cultures – Native Americans in Arctic and Greenland
The Indigenous populations of the Arctic encompass the Inuit, Yup’ik, and Unangan (Aleut) indigenous individuals residing in the Arctic territories of North America and Greenland.
Inuit : This group represents the most widely distributed coastal inhabitants of the Arctic, found in the regions of Canada, Greenland, Russia, and the United States. The Inuit language belongs to the Eskimo–Aleut language family. The Inuit community holds a profound belief in animism, which posits that all entities possess a spirit.
Yup’ik : These individuals inhabit southwestern Alaska and the Russian Far East. The Yupik-speaking communities located near the Bering Sea in Siberia are frequently associated with the Inuit.
Unangan (Aleut): This group resides in the Aleutian Islands and the western section of the Alaska Peninsula.
The Arctic Native peoples share a closer genetic relationship with Asian populations than with other Indigenous groups in the Americas. They possess distinct languages that are not affiliated with other Indigenous languages of North America.
The Arctic Native peoples exhibit an extensive knowledge of their environment, including the land, ocean, ice, and sky, as well as the behaviors of animals. They adeptly utilize their natural surroundings to fulfill their needs, engaging in hunting for sustenance and employing animal furs for clothing.
Yup’ik, Chugach, and Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) makers produce elaborate masks used in community ceremonies. Shamans also employ masks in their rituals to communicate with the spirit world. In a tradition continuing from ancient times, the Inupiat and other coastal Alaskan artists create small-scale ivory sculptures and tools engraved with figural and geometric imagery.
Starting with the arrival of Russian fur traders in 1741, Alaska became the site of colonial exploration and exploitation. Colonizing powers- Russian, French, Spanish, and British-brought deadly diseases as well as alterations to economic, political, and spiritual practices. Despite this legacy, the ideas, symbolism, and materials of the past are alive in Alaska’s contemporary arts-reflecting deep connections with the land, sacred traditions, and cultural protocols that have evolved over thousands of years.
Mask by Chugach artist, Alaska, 1860 AD, crafted from wood, pigment, and plant fibers. Chugach masks, characterized by their vivid expressions, play a vital role in both social and ceremonial contexts. Each mask is distinct, embodying spirits, legendary figures, or revered ancestors. Historical accounts suggest that these masks were frequently destroyed following their initial use; however, in some rare cases, they were traded or presented as gifts to Euro-Americans. The tradition of mask-making experienced a decline with the arrival of missionaries in the nineteenth century. Since the 1980s, Native communities in Alaska have actively revived the art of mask carving.
Masks by Alutiiq/Sugpiaq artists from Kodiak Island, Alaska, 1870 AD, made from wood and pigment.
The Alutiiq/Sugpiaq masks are notable for their elongated foreheads, prominent brow lines, and protruding lips, which may symbolize blowing or whistling; some communities regard this as a means of communicating with spirits. These masks were integral to ceremonies that included song, dance, and storytelling, celebrating the connections between humans and animals and ensuring successful hunting endeavors.
Maskette by Tsimshian or Tlingit artist from British Columbia or Alaska, 1780-1830 AD is made from wood, copper, opercula shell, and pigment. This small mask represents a principal spirit helper, known as a yeik in the Tlingit language. The wearer would attach it to his bentwood headdress and use the assemblage during healing practices. Reflected light amplifies the face’s unwavering gaze and grimacing mouth. Copper eyebrows, flaring nostrils, and teeth
Headdress by Tsimshian artist from British Columbia, 1820-40 AD, made from wood, abalone shell, pigment, and nails. This exquisitely carved frontlet would be attached to a headdress and likely worn for communal or ceremonial dances. The materials and imagery reflect reciprocal connections between humans and their natural environment, specifically land, sea, and sky. A bird with humanlike features, perhaps a hawk, appears in the center. Along the rim, panels of iridescent abalone shell alternate with small human faces, four of which are depicted with their eyes closed.
California and Great Basin cultures- Native Americans from lower California and Mexico
California Native Americans are the indigenous peoples who traditionally occupied California and parts of lower California and Mexico. They are a diverse group of people with a rich history and culture:
California was home to a large and dense population of Native Americans before European settlement. However, the population plummeted in the 19th century due to violence and disease, and today only 1.3% of Californians identify as Native American. California has many tribes, including the Chumash, Diegueno, Hupa, Pomo, Yuma, and Yurok.
One of the world’s greatest basketry traditions was originated thousands of years ago by Native artists, mainly women, in present-day California and Nevada. Their works take practical and ceremonial forms. Although colonization profoundly suppressed basket production, artists revived the tradition in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The interest of collectors and ethnologists as well as basketry competitions encouraged the creativity of basket makers, and several artists achieved unprecedented levels of technical and aesthetic refinement. Makers in the region have also produced elaborate feather work, regalia, and stone sculpture.
Beginning in 1769, Native peoples of California and the Great Basin (parts of Nevada, Utah, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming) faced waves of Euro-American invasion. Forced labor and genocidal violence occurred. Euro-Americans brought livestock into the region, destroying food sources as well as the plants used to make baskets. Native peoples survived, often by working on farms and ranches. They reclaimed lands and initiated new religions, such as the Ghost Dance in late nineteenth century. The Ghost Dance was a Native American religion that centered around a group dance intended to raise the spirits of the dead, restore traditional ways of life, drive away European settlers, return the buffalo, hasten the return of the dead, restore Native American lands and food supplies, promote peaceful co-existence with Euro-Americans, heal the sick, provide new songs from the dead.
Basket Bowl by artist Louisa Keyser from Nevada, 1907. It is made of willow and red bud shoots, bracken root, and dye. She is recognized as the preeminent artist from a culture renowned for producing some of the finest baskets in the world. She developed new forms that are pure artistic expression, without utilitarian function. This impressive work, called a degikup, has a refined coiled surface and minute stitching. Keyser’s mastery is apparent in the controlled, floating red and black motifs against the pale yellow ground.
Plains cultures – Native Americans in area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains
Plains Native Americans encompass a variety of tribes that historically inhabited the Great Plains region of North America. This includes notable groups such as the Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, Crow, Kiowa, and Assiniboine, all of which are recognized for their nomadic way of life that was largely dependent on buffalo hunting. The Great Plains has served as a site for agriculture and farming since the era of these Native American tribes.
The buffalo was the primary food source, providing sustenance as well as materials for clothing and shelter. The lifestyle of these tribes was characterized by mobility, as they followed the buffalo herds and resided in tipis. The arrival of European settlers had a profound impact on the Plains tribes, resulting in significant displacement and the forced relocation to reservations.
By the year 1780, the nomadic lifestyle of the Plains peoples, centered around the pursuit of buffalo, necessitated that all their belongings be easily transportable, which in turn shaped their material culture and artistic expression. Pictographic narratives adorned garments such as robes and shirts, as well as tipis, a portable conical tent made of skins, cloth, or canvas on a frame of poles. Abstract and geometric designs decorated carrying cases known as parfleche. The materials and imagery used in ceremonial items, including regalia, headdresses, shields, pipes, and weaponry, conveyed a sense of spiritual power. Despite the challenges posed by the decline of the buffalo in the 1870s and the subsequent forced relocation to reservations, artistic practices persisted; ledger drawing emerged as a new form of expression, and the powwow served as a communal and intertribal celebration that reinforced Native values and beliefs.
The decline of the buffalo in the late 1870s nearly obliterated the economies of the Plains Indians, leading Native nations to ultimately accept life on reservations under the paternalistic control of the United States. Policies aimed at assimilating Native Americans into Euro-American culture by eradicating their traditions, religions, and languages severely weakened the kinship bonds that were essential to the economic, political, and social frameworks of the Plains societies.
Epilogue
This museum is vast, requiring at least a week to thoroughly explore its artifacts, photographs, and paintings. I spent two days there, yet I found myself rushing through the exhibits. I took photographs of the signage and plaques to examine them more closely at home. This article aims to assist visitors in preparing for their visit to the museum.
I extend my gratitude to America for providing an abundance of knowledge to millions of individuals around the globe.
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