indigenous arts
First peoples' creativity
Indigenous arts are creative expressions—visual, performing, or literary—produced by peoples native to a particular region, especially those with pre-colonial roots.
The term encompasses traditional crafts, ceremonial objects, music, dance, and storytelling passed through generations, as well as contemporary work by indigenous artists: The museum's indigenous arts collection includes both ancient pottery and modern paintings.
Questions of authenticity, cultural ownership, and commercialization often surround indigenous arts, particularly when non-indigenous people produce or profit from them.
- ritual objectsItems with ceremonial purpose
- ceremonial regaliaSymbolic formal dress items
- paintingPigment on canvas
- danceRhythmic bodily movement
- poetryMetrical literary composition
myths · masks · oral traditions · creation stories · sculpture · theater · music · ceremonial costumes · carving · petroglyphs · chanting · sacred texts · dream catchers · sand paintings · quillwork · basketry · epics · weaving
indigenous artscontemporary art
Creative works from today
modern art · avant-garde art · postmodern art · digital art · industrial art
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