Native American Shadow Boxes
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.
15th Century and Earlier American Antique Native American Shadow Boxes
Stone
19th Century Italian Antique Native American Shadow Boxes
Plaster
1970s Swedish Vintage Native American Shadow Boxes
Plexiglass, Paper
19th Century Antique Native American Shadow Boxes
Burlap, Glass, Plaster, Wood
1970s Spanish Vintage Native American Shadow Boxes
Glass, Wood
1850s American Antique Native American Shadow Boxes
Paint, Giltwood, Wood, Glass
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Native American Shadow Boxes
Glass
20th Century Unknown Native American Shadow Boxes
20th Century Native American Shadow Boxes
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Native American Shadow Boxes
Porcelain
15th Century and Earlier Bolivian Antique Native American Shadow Boxes
Alpaca, Natural Fiber
15th Century and Earlier Egyptian Antique Native American Shadow Boxes
Wood, Wool
Early 2000s North American Native American Shadow Boxes
Animal Skin, Glass
Mid-20th Century North American Native American Shadow Boxes
Textile, Linen, Lucite, Feathers