Combine your Christmas traditions with a lesson in Native American history.
While the indigenous Native American populations did not normally celebrate Christmas, the interaction with early colonial families did bring some awareness of this holiday and its traditions. Today, Native American-themed crafts are enjoyable to make during the holiday season, while teaching your children about the culture, history and importance of the Native American people.
Holiday Corn Husk Dolls
Using four corn husks (available for purchase at your local craft store), arrange them in a vertical circle with the tips pointing downward. Tie the upper flat ends together with a piece of string, and then trim around the edges. Turn the husks over and fold over the long ends of the husks down toward the trimmed edges, making a sort of corn husk "bouquet." Keep pulling downward until you form a knot at the top. Secure the base of the knot with string and make a "head." Using another separate husk, you can flatten and roll it into a tube shape and tie each end with string to serve as the doll's arms. These are then pushed inside of the original husks below the neck. Continue to tie string to form a waist, and drape husks around the doll to make a skirt, top, and shoulders. Paint the "clothes" of the doll with bright Christmas colors, such as red and green, as well as adding in some native American hues like turquoise and brown. Add embellishments such as red or green glitter, sequins, or beads to add a festive look to the dolls, and display around your home at Christmas time.
Christmas Dream Catcher
Start with a 6-inch metal ring and approximately 8 yards of suede lacing per "dream catcher." Wrap the lacing around the metal ring so it's completely covered. Glue down and secure. Using string, yarn or cotton twist-cord in a festive color, tie a knot around the ring and allow each crafter to zigzag and knot back, forth, and all over the ring as desired, until a unique pattern or "web" has formed. Add more knotted lacing to the ring so that a few inches hang down around the edges, and string red, green and white beads to these pieces of lacing. Glue or secure a suede, metal or ribbon hook to the top of the ring, and you have created a dream catcher ornament that can be hung on the Christmas tree, front door, or elsewhere around the house.
Fireside Ownership Sticks
Ownership sticks were used by Native Americans to protect their firewood from thieves or absent-minded tribe members looking to start a fire and accidentally using the wrong wood. Using a piece of wood or a wooden dowel from a local craft store, each of your family members can make an ownership stick by painting them with red and green designs, personalized drawings and their name. Add embellishments like festive feathers and beads, and then place the sticks somewhere on display around the house. These can also work in lieu of stockings -- simply line them up near the fireplace, and the small tokens and gifts usually found in a stocking can instead be placed by each person's stick.
Indian Jewelry
Large, colorful jewelry made in the style of Native American fashion can be a fun craft and a wonderful gift idea for someone. Visit your local craft store and purchase suede cord or jewelry chains, as well as beads, small feathers, costume jewels, and small Native American charms, including eagles, tepees, dream catchers, owls and metal feathers. String the beads and charms onto a necklace or bracelet, and add feathers and jewels for extra sparkle and flair. Package these in white boxes with plain brown paper, and decorate the boxes with natural-looking string and hand-painted designs for a festive, yet traditional look.
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