One of the most widely studied cultures around the globe, the Native Americans have a cultural history that can be traced back for centuries. One of the most important aspects of their history is their art and sculpture was one of their favorite expressions of it. Native American oil paintings NM are still commonly found by archeologists.

It has been said that the most prevalent form of American sculptures goes by the name of Fetishes. These are usually small carvings of animals like bears, wild horses, eagles, and badgers. The ancient people who created these carvings believed that they were sacred and would take painstaking care to carve and decorate the little animals. They were highly revered because these tribes believed that they held the spirit of an animal they looked like.

The people who created these small carvings believed that form was as crucial as a function in their art. Great time and attention would be given to the decoration of their carvings. Some of the common decorations used on these carved figures were usually a variety of objects that could be found in their environments like small stones, shells, and feathers. Fetishes that were more valuable would be decorated with gemstones and precious metals.

The lands in which the Native Americans lived was rich in mineral deposits. Thus it is common to find these kinds of carvings that have been sculpted from stones like soapstone and turquoise. The rarer and difficult to find Fetishes are usually carved from marble. These small sculptures are incredible as marble was incredibly difficult to locate at that time and would have been rather expensive.

Out of all of the hundreds of different Native tribes, the Zuni tribe is believed to have produced the best Fetish carvings. Additionally, they placed more spiritual significance on these carvings than any other tribe. A core belief held by this tribe was that their sculptures were living animals that had been turned to stone. Each carving was precious because it helped to connect their world to the world of the gods.

One of the most unique characteristics of the Zuni tribe was their belief that each direction of the compass was represented by a different animal. The mountain lion represented the North, the East was represented by the wolf, the badger represented the South, and West was represented by the bear. Each one of these animals had a property that would benefit the person who carried their Fetish. Certain sculptures helped to keep danger away on a long journey while others helped to keep you healthy.

The American culture is also well known for their wide variety of sculptures. They would take fallen logs and sculpt totem poles from their wood. Each totem pole served as a welcome sign for guests and would offer an important visual representation of the families or villages status and ties. Also common were busts sculpted from clay or carved from wood. These busts would represent important figures in Native American history.

The sculptures created by Americans are a key part of their history. Their sculptures are not only breathtaking to look at but also serve to connect their people to the spirit world.