Native American Products
Native Americans produce some of the most sought after products in the United States. Their products vary from rings to jewelry and from games to beads. Native American clothing is marked by two types or styles; the traditional dress of the tribe, which is usually adorned with tribal colors and symbols and the modern contemporary clothing such as T-shirts with Native American logos on them. The former are beautiful clothes made from traditional hides and materials and are usually more expensive as they require far more detail and skill to create. Rugs have a long and illustrious history dating back thousands of years. Rugs can tell stories or be for ceremonial uses. Most of the rugs sold to tourists and in the marketplace are of aesthetic value and rarely contain ceremonial symbols.
The attention to detail and skill involved with making a rug takes years to learn and perfect; rugs are typically made between several people and take weeks to make using traditional weaving methods. Jewelry is perhaps the most sought after of all Native American products. They exude a feeling of wealth and pride to all those who wear them and are a pinnacle of Native American artwork. Jewelry is made by master crafts persons and form a variety of stones, materials and media depending upon the tribe it originated from. Rings can be simple trinkets or master works of art and will vary on price according to the materials used. Sterling silver will of course be more expensive but will also be more intricate and worthy of adornment.
Native American games include shuttlecocks; shuttlecocks are very similar to badminton. The game is played in a circle and the shuttlecock needs to be kept from touching the ground. Some tribes used a battledoor, which essentially is a wooden racket, instead of their hands to keep the shuttlecock off of the ground. Drums are also sought after by collectors and tourists alike; the Native American drum is a symbol most frequently associated with the Native Americans aside from the headdress and tomahawk. Drums can be small hand sized or extremely large drums played by several people. Traditionally large drums were used but some tribes employed the use of small individual drums in ceremonies and celebrations.
