The culture of Native American tribes is rich and varied and you can learn to appreciate and understand this diversity through easy Native American Indian crafts. Making dream catchers, beading and sandpainting are an important part of many traditions and rituals. Learn the symbolism behind every project to understand its significance to Native American life.
Dream Catchers
The Chippewa tribe protected their children from nightmares by tying dream catchers above their sleeping areas. The webbed net captured bad dreams and allowed good dreams to filter down to the children. Protect your own sleeping area with a simple, decorative dream catcher.
Make a hoop out of a bendable twig. Secure the ends with wire or yarn. The size of the hoop determines the size of the completed dream catcher. Take a long piece of twine and tie one end to the hoop to secure it in place. Wrap the free end of the twine around the hoop, going over the gap in the middle. If desired, add one or two beads to each section of twine. Continue wrapping the twine until a webbed pattern has appeared. The design can be as simple or complex as you like. Simple dream catchers can be created in a triangle pattern, so that the triangles overlap and form a star shape but there is no wrong way to do it.
Finish any dream catcher by tying three identical lengths of twine to the bottom of the loop. Add two or three beads to each string and tie a feather or two at the ends.
Beading
Beads play an important role in Native American life. They were originally hand carved from shells, turquoise, animal bones and other natural materials but glass beads and fine seed beads have become the standard used in modern Native American beading.
Use some turquoise or similarly colored seed beads to create simple jewelry. Earrings can be made by simply looping the beads on a fine wire and attaching the wire to a simple earring base. Beads can also be threaded onto a plain metal hoop for an easier alternative.
To create homemade clay beads for use in Native American projects you can mix two cups of flour, 1/2 cup salt, 3/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a bowl. Knead the dough for several minutes before shaping it into beads. Poke a hole in each bead with a toothpick and allow them to air dry on newspaper for several days.
Beads can be made in various shapes to facilitate many different projects. Create animal shapes to assemble a totem pole. Decorate beaded necklaces, bracelets or belts with special beads in the shape of symbolic animals, such as an badger for health or an eagle for intelligence or courage.
Sandpainting
Sandpainting is culturally important to Native Americans, who originally used it in medicinal ceremonies. These paintings are easy and fun to recreate.
Start by dyeing clean, white sand in a variety of different colors. Fill inexpensive plastic bowls with sand, food coloring and water. Mix well, until the color is intense and the sand is saturated. Drain any extra liquid and spread the sand on a baking sheet to dry. Cover a large sheet of paper with glue and drop the sand onto the paper in various patterns. Let the glue dry before shaking off any excess sand.
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