Native American Culture - Term Paper Example

Native Americans wanted to control the environment and the human being or the supernatural beings that surrounded or threatened them. Particular articles were solely for religious uses, and some were for secular needs alone. Decorations did not always provide clues as to their uses; most of the religious articles were completely devoid of ornamentation. A few people used plain-ware bowls for food preparation, while others used polychrome bowls for the same purposes, yet under a different set of circumstances they could fulfill a religious function (Kuiper 176).

The specific aim of the Indian artist was not just to set down realistic account but to form the semi-magical designs so universal in the art of non-Western cultures. Carvings paintings, effigies, or realistic portraits were not merely pictures of people or objects; they embodied the essence of that particular subjects as well. Native Americans often attached names to designs for convenience of people as it helped to avoid confusion. Although the dissimilarities between the artistic languages of different times were immense, there were also similarities, for the borrowing of art forms from distant and occasionally foreign peoples was a common practice (Kuiper 181).

Despite the similarities between the art of forms of different cultural groups and various cultural groups and dissimilar times, one cannot talk of Indian art as though it were on its own a concept. Just as there were numerous hundred native languages, dialects, and speech forms, so were there an equal number of tribal styles, motifs, and design forms. Aesthetics, or perceptions of beauty are among the most difficult concepts to identity in any Native American musical culture. Native Americans tended to evaluate performances according to the feelings of connectedness they generate rather than according to specifically musical qualities.

Some communities judged the victory of a performance by how many people