From Alaska to the AndesNATIVE ARTS OF THE AMERICAS BEFORE 1300

Vocabulary Terms

AdobeThe clay used to make a kind of sun-dried mud

brick of the same name; a building

made of such brick.

AtlantidA male figure

that functions as a supporting column.

AtlatlSpear-thrower,

the typical weapon of the

Toltecs of ancient Mexico.

Backstrap LoomA simple Andean loom featuring a belt or backstrap

encircling the waist of the

seated weaver.

CeltIn Olmec Mexico,

an ax-shaped form made of polished jade; generally, a

prehistoric metal or stone implement

shaped like a chisel or ax head.

Effigy MoundsCeremonial

mounds built in the shape of

animals or birds by native North

American peoples.

EmbroideryThe technique of sewing threads onto a finished ground to form

contrasting designs.

Fret or MeanderAn ornament, usually

in bands but also covering broad

surfaces, consisting of interlocking geometric motifs. An ornamental pattern of contiguous straight lines joined

usually at right angles

Gorget

A neck pendant.

KivaA large circular underground

structure that is the spiritual and

ceremonial center of Pueblo

Indian life

MesoamericaThe region that

comprises Mexico,

Guatemala, Belize, Honduras,

and the Pacific coast of El Salvador.

PuebloA communal

multistoried dwelling made of stone or adobe

brick by the Native Americans of the

Southwest; with cap. also used to refer to various groups that

occupied such dwellings.

Roof CombThe elaborately sculpted vertical

projection surmounting a Maya temple-

pyramid.

TapestryA weaving technique

in which the weft threads are packed

densely over the warp threads so that

the designs are woven directly into

the fabric.

TerracottaHard-baked clay,

used for sculpture and as

a building material. It may

be glazed or painted

WarpThe

vertical threads

of a loom or cloth.

WeftThe

horizontal threads of a loom or

cloth.

Mesoamerican Ball Game

The Mesoamerican ballgame was a sport with ritual

associations played for over 3000 years

by the pre-Columbian peoples

of Mesoamerica.

EpigraphersScholars

who decipher writing systems

MetatesCeremonial

grinding stones, possibly used as thrones

Sources• http://www.f1online.pro/en/image-details/3

218281.html• http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahklebba/

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age=product_info&products_id=90• http://www.precolumbian-gallery.com/olme

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n-atlanta/top-ten-native-american-sites-georgia

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2009/03/09/block-threading-and-dobby-pegging/

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