Navajo Moki
Antique Late 19th Century American Navajo North and South American Rugs
Wool
Antique Late 19th Century American Navajo Indian Rugs
Wool
Early 1900s American Impressionist Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Gouache, Watercolor, Paper
Antique 1890s American Native American Quilts and Blankets
Wool
People Also Browsed
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Wall Lights and Sconces
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Nickel
Vintage 1940s Persian Navajo North and South American Rugs
Wool
Early 2000s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Antique Late 19th Century American Navajo Rugs
Wool
20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Early 20th Century American Native American Native American Objects
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Mid-20th Century American North and South American Rugs
Wool, Cotton
1960s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Masonite, Oil, Linen
Early 20th Century American Navajo North and South American Rugs
Wool
Early 20th Century American Navajo North and South American Rugs
Wool
Antique Early 19th Century American Navajo North and South American Rugs
Wool
Antique 1880s American Navajo Native American Objects
Wool
Mid-20th Century American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Oil, Cardboard, Canvas
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Native American Objects
Beads
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Figurative Sculptures
Wood
1910s American Impressionist Landscape Paintings
Canvas, Oil
Recent Sales
Antique Late 19th Century North American Navajo Tapestries
Wool
Antique Late 19th Century American Navajo Native American Objects
Wool
A Close Look at native-american Furniture
Native American broadly describes any Indigenous people in North America and encompasses hundreds of tribes and groups, all with distinct cultures. Native American–style furniture and decor likewise varies widely, from pieces created by Indigenous people to those appropriated by non-native designers.
Indigenous furniture’s rich heritage includes the bentwood boxes of the Northwest Coast carved from cedar for storing household or ceremonial objects. Generations of Native American people have made baskets for holding household items, with those in the Northeast using sweetgrass and those in the Southeast using pine needles and wicker. Artisans in the Plateau region wove watertight pieces like cradles from plant materials. Although these objects were intricately made, they were usually utilitarian rather than decorative.
The colonization of North America and the removal of Indigenous people from their lands led to the suppression of these practices. Many styles that used Native American motifs — such as Southwestern style, which was heavily influenced by the geometric patterns of Navajo textiles — have historically not involved Indigenous creators and, instead, have taken their traditions without their tribal context.
When decorating a home with Native American–style furniture, it is important to do so respectfully, by understanding the origins of motifs and objects and examining who profits from their sale. There are now Indigenous-led companies, such as Cherokee designer Cray Bauxmont-Flynn’s Amatoya and Totem House Design, promoting Indigenous work in furniture and home decor. Supporting Indigenous artists and artisans is essential to confronting the still pervasive issue of cultural appropriation in design.
Find a collection of Native American living room furniture, folk art, rugs and carpets, decorative objects and other items on 1stDibs.