Tree Carvings

Native American Tree Carvings

Native American Tree Carvings

Tree Carvings. Discover facts and information about the artwork of Native American Indians and their use of the Tree Carvings and symbols to convey stories and meanings

  • Tree Carvings and Native American Indians
  • Definition of Tree Carvings
  • Creating Tree Carvings
  • Examples of Tree Carvings
  • Interesting facts and information about Tree Carvings created by Native Americans
Native Indian Art
Native American Symbols
Native Indian Tribes Index

Tree Carvings
Native American Tree Carvings are a traditional form of Native American tree art, especially associated with aspen trees.  They are pictorial and graphic carvings that are made into trees by using sharp thin knife blades to carve into soft bark. Unlike Rock Art, tree carvings have a limited life span. Beech trees can live for several hundred years whilst birch trees and aspen trees rarely survive for more than one hundred years. Depending on the skill of the artist creating the tree carvings, the images can remain clear over the years, or become distorted and blurred. The art of creating tree carvings is also referred to as Tree Scaring. Also refer to Totem Pole Art.

The Purpose of Tree Carvings
The meaning of tree carvings did not always convey a complete record and were often only used as a memory aid to those who knew about the story and understood the meanings of the symbols that had been used. The purpose of Native American Tree Carvings include the following:

  • Practical - Tree carvings were used as a message system to following tribe members and created by using various images, symbols and signs
  • Records - Tree carvings were used to create records of important events that were important to the tribe
  • Healing - Tree carvings were used to engrave powerful symbols to assist in medicinal and Spiritual Healing
  • Religious - Tree carvings were used in the offering of prayers and also to indicate that a burial had taken place

Tree Carvings

 

Creating Tree Carvings - Types of Trees
Tree Carvings are created by stripping the outer layer of bark from a tree and carving, or etching, an image on the lighter, softer bark on the under surface. The types of trees suitable for tree carvings include:

  • Aspen trees
  • Birch Trees
  • Beech Trees

These types of trees have a smooth bark and possess a light color that makes a ready made canvas for carving.

Tree Carvings - Terminology
Tree art and in particular tree carvings are referred to by modern archaeologists as Culturally Modified Trees (CMT's). Terminology used in relation to culturally modified trees and tree carvings are as follows:

  • Arborglyphs: Carvings on trees. From the Latin word 'arbor' meaning tree and 'glyphic' meaning to carve
  • Arborgraphs: Paintings on trees. From the Latin word 'arbor' meaning tree and derived from Pictograph from the Latin word 'pictus' meaning painted and the French word 'graphie' meaning to carve
  • Dendroglyphs: Another name for tree carvings, associated with New Zealand tree art. From the Greek word 'dendron' meaning tree and 'glyphic' meaning to carve
  • Silvaglyphs: From Latin 'silva' meaning forest trees and 'glyphic' meaning to carve and often used to describe tree carvings of historical and cultural importance

Tree Carvings

  • Native American Tree Carvings
  • Materials used to create Tree Carvings
  • History of Tree Carvings and their purpose
  • Words and terminology associated with tree carvings
  • Examples of Tree Carvings
  • Native American Indian art and culture

Pictures and Videos of Native Americans
Discover the vast selection of pictures which relate to the History of Native Americans and illustrate many decorations and tattoos used by American Indians. The pictures show the clothing, tattoos, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes that can be used as a really useful educational history resource for kids and children of all ages and a means to study their interpretation. We have included pictures to accompany the main topic of this section - Native American Art. The videos enable fast access to the images, paintings and pictures together with information and many historical facts. All of the articles can be accessed via the Native Indian Tribes Index.

Tree Carvings - Artists - Native American Indian - Two-dimensional - Indian - Facts - Info - Information - Materials - Examples - History - Traditional - Info - Information - Pictures - Tribal - Tribes - Tree Carvings - History - Indian - Ideas - Paintings - Images - Artists - Native American Indian - Two-dimensional - Indian - Facts - Info - Information - Materials - Examples - History - Traditional - Info - Information - Pictures - Tribal - Tribes - History - Indian - Ideas - Paintings - Images - Tree Carvings - Written By Linda Alchin

ⓒ 2017 Siteseen LimitedFirst Published Cookies PolicyAuthor
Updated 2018-01-16Publisher Siteseen Limited Privacy Statement