Native American Weaving

There is no word in many Native languages for art, and no distinction made between what was decorative and what was functional, or what was sacred and what secular. Native art is closely linked to the natural world, and to spiritual connections of interrelatedness, a sense of deep harmony with the order of the universe. Corn was important to native cultures as one of the “Three Sisters” (corn, beans and squash) that were cultivated in a highly efficient and interdependent approach to agriculture that today is called companion planting. Native expertise (and generosity) with corn probably saved the lives of early European colonists as it was a far more productive crop than any imported by the Europeans. Evidence of woven (or, more accurately, twining) patterns from corn husks and other plant fiber materials have survived in decorative imprinting on pottery. Corn husk twining techniques were used to make bottles, sleeping mats, moccasins, cordage, and many other items. The twined corn husk mat shown here was fabricated by contemporary artist John Garrett.

19th century Native American corn husk twined basket from the collection of the New York State Museum, Albany, NY.