Sioux Art
Sioux art was and is created by people connected to this Native American tribe. The tribe focused on artwork that used products and items they had in the nearby vicinity. This artwork was often used for functional purposes as well as decorative purposes. It also allowed them the chance to use different parts of animals for different reasons.
A good example of Sioux art is the paintings done on buffalo hides. The buffalo hide was used in a number of ways including for clothing and blankets. Hides were used for decoration and art by tanning it and drying out all the moisture. Hides were painted using crushed berries and paints made from crushed shells and water.
The Sioux Indians were also well known for their beadwork. They constructed elaborate pieces from beads strung together and then woven. They used the bones of animals in different ways and one of those ways was by creating small beads from dried bones. These bones were sometimes painted as well, especially the skulls. This was known as animal skull painting.
Resources on Sioux art include:
- Ablaya's Gallery: gallery specializing in Sioux art, particularly jewelry designs.
- The Sioux Nation: provides information on the art and culture of the Sioux people.
- Sioux Drawings and Sioux Prints: seller of Sioux drawings.
- Sioux City Gifts: retailer selling items from Sioux City, including some specially created artwork from Native American people.
- Sioux Paintings: seller of paintings by Sioux people or with Sioux people as the models.
Sioux art also includes quill work and pipe carving. Pipes were carved out of everything from animal bones to dried and cured pieces of wood. Jewelry work was another form of Sioux art and incorporated beads and stones in their immediate area. These jewelry pieces often took on the shape of a necklace or choker that fit tightly around the neck. It sometimes took days for the worker to complete their art and sometimes took even longer. The designs were so beautiful that designers today are still mimicking the classic look of the artwork created by the Sioux people.
