Native American Folk Art
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.
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Acrylic
1910s American Vintage Native American Folk Art
Other
20th Century Native American Folk Art
Fabric, Yarn
1930s American Vintage Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wool
1880s American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Ceramic, Clay
1860s American Antique Native American Folk Art
Horn, Fabric, Beads
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wood
1920s American Vintage Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Wood, Pine
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Animal Skin, Hide, Leather, Beads
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Early 1900s North American Antique Native American Folk Art
Organic Material, Willow
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Canvas, Beads
21st Century and Contemporary American Native American Folk Art
Ceramic
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Late 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Ceramic
1890s American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wood, Cedar
20th Century Native American Folk Art
Leather, Earthenware
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Earthenware
20th Century Native American Folk Art
Cedar, Paint
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Stone
Mid-20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Cedar
Mid-20th Century Native American Folk Art
Pottery
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Cherry, Cedar
15th Century and Earlier American Antique Native American Folk Art
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Tin
1920s American Vintage Native American Folk Art
Wool
Late 20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Antler
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Hide, Wood
19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Paper
1980s North American Vintage Native American Folk Art
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
15th Century and Earlier American Antique Native American Folk Art
Stone
20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Silver
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
1970s Canadian Vintage Native American Folk Art
Pine
2010s American Native American Folk Art
Wool
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Cherry, Cedar
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
1980s American Vintage Native American Folk Art
Sterling Silver
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Late 19th Century North American Antique Native American Folk Art
Hide, Beads
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Multi-gemstone, Silver
Late 20th Century Native American Folk Art
Ceramic
20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Wood
Early 20th Century American Native American Folk Art
Hide, Leather, Beads
19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Leather
20th Century Canadian Native American Folk Art
Wood
20th Century Native American Folk Art
Textile, Wood, Cotton, Silk, Acrylic
Late 19th Century American Antique Native American Folk Art
Wood