| Native American art, hand-made and performance, is | | | | These same therianthropes make their way into the |
| diverse, because there are so many Native American | | | | Native American performance art, and that is why |
| tribes. But certain generalities can be made about this | | | | the Christian Europeans, when first encountering their |
| art, because many of their core spiritual and religious | | | | ritual mimes and dances were appalled at such |
| beliefs are similar all across the tribes. | | | | irreverent "paganism" that worshiped animals. But it's |
| One prevalent trait of all Native American art is the | | | | not animal worship. Native Americans have |
| use of animistic themes. These are themes that | | | | traditionally been expert hunters, and one of the |
| stem both from lore and from shamanic teachings | | | | ways that they mastered the hunting of an animal |
| and experiences. Animism asserts that all beings and | | | | was to wear its skin and behave like it, so as to "get |
| all things have a dynamic spiritual essence, so that in | | | | into" that animal so that they could more successfully |
| a sense all things are in unity, as some modern | | | | hunt it. |
| Western physicists have also come to conclude. | | | | Native American dances are also magical dances, |
| Animism does not negate duality, such as good vs. | | | | they aren't merely for aesthetics and they aren't |
| bad, male vs. female, and so forth; but it does | | | | ballet-type stories, although many of them do tell |
| transcend dualities to try to get to what it considers | | | | stories. Native American dance is meant to channel |
| the original Source of all matter, energy, objects, and | | | | spiritual energies or reanimate ancient stories that can |
| living beings. Animism is likely the oldest spiritual | | | | be caused to re-appear in the world today. |
| perspective in the world. | | | | There is also the dream catcher as a repeated and |
| When animism is depicted in art, there can be found | | | | pervasive theme. We have all seen the dream |
| abstract shapes such as spirals and zigzag lines | | | | catcher, which originated with the Ojibwa Nation. This |
| carved or painted on it. There will also be depictions | | | | is intended to be a magical web that captures bad |
| of therianthropes. Now therianthropes are half-man, | | | | dreams for the sleeper so that they can be |
| half-beast images. These are very important because | | | | removed, while the good dreams remain in the |
| they follow the abstract shapes that were made | | | | conscience. The idea of all creation being part of a |
| reference to in shamanic vision-journeys; and it's | | | | spider's web is another Native American spiritual |
| from their shamanistic views and their pragmatic | | | | concept that is similar to modern physics. |
| environmentalism that all Native American art | | | | Too many Native Americans, the most sacred animal |
| essentially springs. | | | | is the wolf, and the wolf is often depicted in all |
| So there will be depicted deer with a man's head, or | | | | manner of ways and styles in Native American art. |
| a man with antlers (this is a very powerful | | | | The Wolf Tribe supposedly was the most advanced |
| therianthrope and seems to be universal, or that is, | | | | of all the original tribes and brought spiritual teachings |
| globally cross-cultural), or a buffalo with arms and | | | | to everyone else. Also widely depicted in Native |
| hands like a man who shoots a bow and arrow. | | | | American art is Kokopelli, the "Trickster" (sometimes |
| These therianthropes are considered to be powerful | | | | also depicted as the Raven), a dancing, flute-playing |
| spirit guides who help the shaman walk the road | | | | shapeshifter who loves mankind but is very |
| between the two Worlds and provide him wisdom to | | | | mischievous. |
| impart when he mentally gets back to his tribe. | | | | |