History of the Native American Wedding Vase The Native American wedding vase plays a very important part in wedding ceremonies, as they are used to mark the sanctity of marriage. One tradition many Native Americans have involves a special wedding vessel.
These traditions are often used to celebrate the love that is being shared and exchanged during a wedding, and Native American culture is no different. Celebrate American Indian culture with a choker of your own from Kachina House.Almost every culture in the world has its own special traditions when it comes to weddings. Many of the Native American chokers available today are not made from bone-although a small number of handcrafted ones may still be-that doesn’t strip them of their history or cultural significance. For this reason, every available functional part of an animal is used after death. Native American culture is very in tune with nature and believes every one of its elements has its own spirit that should be held sacred. Lastly, the bone choker was considered a way to honor life and respect the sacrifice of the animal whose remains were used to create it. The number of strands used to make it was sometimes believed to hold specific meaning too. Bone chokers were usually made by the Medicine Man so that they could use their spiritual power to infuse the piece with protection and powers-giving it special and personal meaning to the individual wearer. In fact, some Native Americans had vision dreams about specific animals and asked the tribe’s Medicine Man to make the necklace for them. The spirit of the animal that made the choker was believed to be invoked when worn. The bone choker would guide the warrior to speak the truth directly from the heart. Specifically, the choker was thought to protect the voice and provide great speaking abilities to the wearer. The Native American bone choker served not only to protect a warrior physically but spiritually as well. They were also sometimes worn during certain tribal ceremonies.
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Sometimes they were attached to full breastplates as well since bone is a very strong and nearly impenetrable natural resource.Ĭhokers were often a sign of wealth in American Indian culture, and wearing one was an indication of high social ranking. Historically, Native American chokers functioned as a form of protection for tribal warriors-guarding the jugular and deflecting arrows from the neck in battle. A bone awl or porcupine quill would be fashioned into a needle for threading. Today we use leather to tie the components of the necklace together and maintain an authentic look, but Native Americans used the sinew from deer or buffalo carcasses. Precious stones like turquoise or shell were also sometimes used to ornament the choker if they were available. This color was preserved regularly with fat. Smaller bones were sometimes used as beads and colored with minerals, plants, or berry juices. Once the bones were cleaned and smoothed, they were boiled until softened, making them malleable enough to be shaped.
Discovering animal bones was considered a sign of good luck. The animal was not typically killed for the purpose of jewelry making, but rather the remains were used after death from natural causes or by predators. A majority came from birds, buffalo, and deer-bird legs were especially well-suited to making chokers. Luckily, we have plenty of options for you to browse on our website!Īs the name would imply, American Indians made their bone chokers from animal bones. Authentic Native American chokers, however, held much more significance to the original wearers.Īfter learning about the colorful history and symbolic function of the bone choker, you might decide that you want one of these artifacts for yourself.
Today they are produced, designed, and widely sold as commonplace accessories marketed to the general public. One of the most unique and traditional pieces is the Native American bone choker. The handcrafted pieces are celebrated as relics of American Indian civilization, and the evolution of mass jewelry production has included them in modern-day fashion and style. Native American jewelry is a beautiful, versatile, and meaningful art form that has long been admired by cultures around the world.
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