The Navajo played an enormous role for the US and allied troops during World War II as “Code Talkers”. The story of the Navajo Code Talkers is fascinating and one which should be remembered and honored always. The Origin of Native American Code Talkers It was during WWI that the US military consi...

There are 4.5 million Native Americans (including Alaska Natives) living in the USA in 2021, representing 1.5% of the total US population. In the United States of America today, there are 574 federally recognized Native American tribal nations. They are referred to (and refer to themselves) as na...

The sweat lodge is an important cultural tradition for some Native American nations. Used for ceremonial purposes, it is a type of sauna that is valuable for both spiritual and physical purification, as well as used for social and cultural purposes. Traditionally, a Native American sweat lodge us...

At the turn of the twentieth century, numerous photographers recorded the traditional Native American culture that was, sadly, changing dramatically. One of these was Roland Reed. Roland Reed Roland Reed was an artist and photographer who was among a group referred to as Pictorialists. With a st...

Continuing from ourlast post, here are more types of traditional Native American dwellings… Wigwams Similar in appearance to the teepee, the wigwam was particular to the American Indians of the Northeast USA and Canada, especially the Algonquin Indians and the Wampanoag. The word “wigwam” transla...

There are many, many long-held stereotypes when it comes to the American Indians, greatly influenced by Hollywood in the 20th Century. One of these stereotypes is that all Native Americans traditionally lived in teepees. While it is true that some tribes did indeed live in teepees, there were man...

Indian Traders has a strong focus on Native American blankets and jewelry, including Hopi Indian silver jewelry, but we also carry a small selection of pottery-inspired pieces. The southwest is home to beautiful and unique native pottery, and a founder of modern Hopi pottery as an art was Nampeyo...

Did you know that Alaska is the state with the highest Native population in the USA? According to the 2018 US Census, 15% of the general population in Alaska is Alaska Native, rising to almost 20% when American Indians are included in the count. Native peoples comprise 12% of the total populatio...

One aspect of Native American culture that non-Natives are widely aware of is the Sacred Pipe. It is represented on one of the Native American blanket designs we offer here at Indian Traders. What does the Sacred Pipe represent? The Sacred Pipe is also known as the Peace Pipe or Calumet – but it...