Identifying Context Clues DIRECTIONS: Highlight the context clues for the meaning of the bolded word. When a Spanish explorer came to America, his most important accessory was his riding gear. The equipment allowed him to ride his horse. The famous mustangs and the beautiful paint ponies of the West are descended from horses brought by the Spanish. The compact, well-balanced Spanish horses traveled deep into the western interior of the continent, the land of such animals as the badger and the antelope. Historians can make calculations about when the Plains Indians began to use horses most agree it was around 1600. However, historians may never be able to estimate how much horses changed the Plains Indians lives. Horses were the perfect complement to the Plains Indians needs. They used horses to hunt buffalo and to fight battles more successfully. Tribe after tribe became a willing convert to the improvements that the horse allowed. They changed their ways of living and eagerly sought more horses. Because horses made traveling much easier, trade increased. It became customary for the Plains people to trade with peoples in the West. Thus, it became common to see a Nez Perce horse wearing a Crow collar and bridle. The Cayuse, the Shoshone, the Flathead, and the Nez Perce showed their pride in their horses by decorating them with trappings worthy of hanging in any art gallery. On magnificent saddle bags, black geometric designs intervene, or come between, bands of red. Beaded stirrups, especially on women s mounts, were often hung with pendants. War horses were brilliantly draped and masked like steeds of the medieval knights of Europe. A horse might bear colorfully painted images showing its own feats of valor, or bravery. A horse might be painted with symbols of vitality in the hope that such symbols would add to the horse s strength. It is this image of painted horse and rider dressed in splendor that will charge on through the imaginations of future generations. Adjacent to some empty display cases in the Smithsonian Institution s National Museum of the American Indian, you will see a small white card. The card next to the case states that an object has been removed. Each of these objects was made by an American Indian artisan, a person with a special ability to make that particular object. Out of respect, the museum removed objects considered sacred by American Indians. The museum is now trying to learn how to show the pieces properly. With this knowledge, the museum will attain its goal of respectul display. These special items are the creations of long-deceased people. However, the holy power that the objects represent is still very much alive in the hearts of many American Indians. Far from being fragile, these beliefs have remained strong for countless years. One of the most valued objects is the ceremonial pipe, which you may know as a peace pipe. For Plains Indians, these pipes are sacred. Some are highly decorated pipes especially glorify, or honor, centuries-old beliefs. Even the simple and agreeable design of an undecorated pipe may represent the harmonious communication between human beings and a divine spirit. According to ancient belief, to place the stem and bowl of the pipe together is to release an incomparable power. To display a pipe this way shows disrespect for that matchless force and the people who honor it. In traditional European art, different colors are usually used to create a certain mood or feeling. In American Indian art, multicolored designs have more specific meanings. The effect of European settlement in the Americans was to pulverize many aspects of American Indian culture. Perhaps museums will succeed in protecting them from being crushed further.
LESSON 3: CONTEXT CLUES 3A: American Indians and Their Horses 3B: The Meanings of American Indian Art
LESSON 3: LIKE AND OPPOSITE MEANINGS 3A: American Indians and Their Horses 3B: The Meanings of American Indian Art
LESSON 3: UNDERSTANDING NEW WORDS AND THEIR USES A Culture Rooted in Nature