Tribal Art Glossary
Tribal Art Glossary
At TribalArt.com, we believe knowledge enhances appreciation. This A–Z glossary defines key terms in tribal art, drawing from African, Oceanic, Pre-Columbian, and Indigenous traditions worldwide. These definitions provide essential context for understanding the cultural, historical, and artistic significance of artifacts. Entries are sourced from expert references in ethnography, art history, and museum collections to ensure accuracy.
A
- Adobe: Sun-dried clay building material used in Southwestern Native American architecture and pottery.
- African Art: Artistic works originating from the African continent, often emphasizing visual abstraction over naturalism, three-dimensional sculpture, performance contexts, and the human figure as a primary subject.
- Amatl: Fig-bark paper used in Mesoamerican codices, dating back to around 300 CE, still employed for painting and ceremonial purposes.
- Ancestor Statues: Representations of the deceased, often combined with totemic animals, used to decorate assembly houses or objects in Oceanic cultures.
- Ancestor-Worship: The veneration of deceased relatives, central to religious and social ceremonies in many tribal societies, particularly in Oceania and Africa.
- Animism: The belief that objects, animals, places, and natural phenomena possess spirits or life forces, a foundational concept in much tribal art and ritual.
- Anthropomorphic: Resembling or attributing human form or characteristics to non-human entities, common in tribal sculptures and masks.
- Ariki/Ali’i: Hereditary chiefs in Polynesian societies, often depicted or honored in art through symbols of power and genealogy.
- Artist Hopid: A Hopi Pueblo artist collective (1973–1978) including Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswaima, Neil David, Milland Lomakema, and Delbridge Honanie.
- Arts of Africa: Diverse legacies from African peoples, societies, and civilizations, each with unique visual cultures, often generalized under “traditional” African art.
- Attribution: A knowledgeable assessment of an artifact's origin based on style, materials, and published data, though never absolute.
- At.óow: Tlingit term for a blanket or valuable clan regalia that is collectively owned and passed between individuals.
- Avanyu: A Tewa Pueblo deity, guardian of water, depicted as a horned or plumed serpent symbolizing flowing water or lightning.
- Australo-Melanesians: Ancestors of modern Melanesians and Australian Aboriginals from the first human migrations to the region.
