Native American Tribes

After finding some images of Native American tribespeople and practising some freehand tattoo drawings and tribal face painting using Native American designs, I've decided to do some further research into their history and traditions. Although there are hundreds of federally recognised Native American tribes in the U.S, there are a few that are the more famous, and whose images are most commonly associated with traditinal Native Americans. Examples of these are the Cherokee Nation from Oklahoma, the Cheyenne tribes from Oklahoma and South Dakota, and the Navajo Nation from Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Looking at images of the traditional people from these tribes, you can see almost every style and makeup element that one would commonly associate with Native American people. The Native American tribespeople were, and still are semi-autonomous and self governed, and live in separated areas known as reservations. In their beginnings, Native American people were a mix of a few different nationalities, such as Indian, Inuit, Alaskan and Hawaiian, which explains their physical differences from most Northern American people that inhabit the country today, and the differences between their styles within the tribes. Native Americans were, and to this day still are, very spritiual people, who hold deep connections with the Earth and nature. They are known for living mainly off the land, using their long practised hunting and fishing skills to provide food, along with growing their own crops and farming. Traditionally they have used the Earth, and animals to create almsot everything they use, from their homes to their tools, to musical instruments and their clothes and makeup. Feathers, animal hides, wood, clay, stone and kohl all make up the fundamental materials used to sustain Native American life and create their image. To me, when looking at the way Native American tribespeople are commonly dressed and made up, it is perfectly clear to see how they have been physically influenced by their spirituality and their love of nature and the land, and this is what most attracted me to these people. Just as my own makeup and styling in my final shootshould have a purpose and a meaning behind it, and should reflect the people that I have been influenced by, the Native American style reflects their history, roots and way of life, and this is what inspires me to use them as an influence in my work.