Craft Indian jewelry - Native American symbols and meaning

• Tinker Indian headband
• An Indian headdress
• Tinker Indian amululet
• Tinker Indian chain
• The most important Indian symbols

The rich ornamentation of one's own body has always played a major role for the Indians. No wonder that they not only paint, but also wear a lot of jewelry, for example, on the head or around the neck. In this DIY guide, we will take you into the impressive world of the North American Indian people so foreign to us and show you step by step how to make creative Indian jewelry! Carnival can come!

Numerous myths and many people - maybe you "> tinker Indian headband - entwine themselves around the Indian culture

You need this:

• colorful feathers
• corrugated cardboard
• rubber band
• ruler
• scissors
• paper punch
• Label strip or Tesa (if required)

How to proceed:

Step 1: Pick up the corrugated board and use the scissors to cut out a strip that is at least 30 cm long and 3 cm wide.

Tip: Make sure the corrugations of the cardboard are transverse to the width.

Step 2: Lay out many colorful feathers: blue and green, red, orange and yellow as well as black and white.

Step 3: Insert the springs gradually into the cardboard strip. Change the colors and keep a little distance between each feather (about 2 to 3 cm).

Tip: If the cardboard is too thin to hold the springs in, you can also attach the latter to the back of the paper using label strips or tesa.

Step 4: Grab the paper punch and punch one hole in each end of the strip.

Step 5: Pull a long enough piece of rubber band through the holes. Knot it so that it stays well on the head of the future wearer. Finished!

Tip: Some people suffer from a spring allergy. If this also applies to you or the person who wants to wear the Indian jewelry, you can also trim paper feathers and use them instead of the right utensils.

An Indian headdress

You need this:

• small, medium and large feathers in different colors (small blue designs should be included)
• Foam rubber (3 x 8 cm x 30 cm)
• rubber band
• Pluster pen or glitterpen
• Sewing needle and yarn
• paperclips
• pen
• ruler
• scissors
• Power glue or hot glue

How to proceed:

Step 1: Take a piece of sponge rubber in A4 format and cut off an 8 cm wide strip. Since the headdress consists of three such stripes, repeat this twice. So you have three stripes with a size of 8 cm x 30 cm.

2nd step: Bend a sponge rubber strip in the middle lengthwise, creating a 30 cm long and 4 cm wide strip. Fix this kink with two paper clips.

Step 3: Slide the colorful feathers into the leather band and glue them there with power glue. In detail:

• First take a big feather and place it in the middle of the leather band.
• In the area of ​​the headband, ie the section that will cover the forehead at the end, replace large, medium and small feathers. Vary the colors too!

Step 4: Laminate the quills in the headband area with small blue feathers.

Step 5: Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the two side elements. The two lateral sections, which will run towards the shoulders when worn, have larger inside springs, which should be smaller and smaller towards the outside. Once all feathers have been attached and the glue is well dried, the outer ends of the two side strips are cut off beveled.

Step 6: Now the three decorative elements are connected together. To do this place both side parts running diagonally downwards towards the ends of the middle element, left and right. With a needle and a sturdy string, these are then sewn onto the middle piece with a cross stitch. The ends of the string are knotted well on the back.

Right there you now attach the rubber band. Before the end knots tightly, you should put on the headdress once and try out, from which length the headdress is firmly attached. Cut the rubber band in exactly the same place and also knot this end on the other side.

Step 7: If you wish, you can decorate the headdress afterwards with pluster or glitter pins. Which symbols are the most suitable, you will learn at the end of our guide.

Done is the homemade Indian headdress! Is not he a real eye-catcher? "> Make an Indian amululet

You need this:

• Piece of leather or piece of cork board
• possibly acrylic paints and brushes
• Leather straps or cord
• wood Beads
• medium sized colorful feathers
• Pluster pen or glitterpen
• Cutter or scissors
• compasses
• Power glue or hot glue

How to proceed:

Step 1: Pick up a piece of leather (an old cork coaster is also available for upcyclers) and use a compass to draw three circles of leather. Two of them should have a diameter of 6.5 cm each, the third leather circle a radius of 4.5 cm.

Step 2: Cut out the circles with the scissors or the cutter.

Note: If you use cork coasters, you can still paint them with acrylics at will. Wait until the colors have dried well. Another alternative is foam rubber. These are cheap to buy in many bright colors. The only drawback with sponge rubber: the amulet is not so stable.

Step 3: Pick an odd number of medium-sized feathers and place a wooden bead on the keels.

Step 4: Glue the keels, as well as the leather straps or a string between the two large leather circles.

Step 5: Take the small leather circle (cork circle) and glue a wooden bead on the middle of it.

Step 6: Paint the small circle with pluster and glitter pens. Again, it is recommended to use characteristic Native American symbols.

Step 7: Glue the small circle on the big one. Finished!

Tip: Make the amulet matching the color of the headdress to complete your Indian costume in a stylish and harmonious way.

Tinker Indian chain

You need this:

• feathers
• cork
• knife
• Wooden sticks or metal pieker
• Thread or thin cord
• scissors
• Kraftkleber

How to proceed:

Step 1: Pick up a cork and use a knife to cut 5 mm thick slices.

Tip: If you soak or boil corks in hot water for a short time, they will be softer and easier to process.

Step 2: Pierce the cork discs in the upper area twice with a wooden stick or a metal pipette. Be especially careful not to hurt yourself.

Tip: If you wish, you can paint the corks in advance.

Step 3: Then glue one or two springs on the cork disks with glue. The quills are glued to the back of the discs with power or hot glue.

Step 4: Once the glue has dried, thread the cork slices on a thread or a thin cord (the thread or cord is pulled through the holes made in step 2). If necessary, place a knot in front of and behind each cork to achieve the desired stability. Finished!

Tips: With a thick needle, the thread can be pulled through easily. And a few extra wooden beads make the Indian chain even more chic.

The most important Indian symbols

If you make Indian jewelry, you can not help but integrate one or the other Indian symbol - be it painting or with a pendant that represents an Indian character. Likewise, you can paint some of the symbols with make-up on the face or arms. We briefly explain the meaning (s) of the most important symbols.

Running Water
Fast-flowing water symbolizes vitality and energy.

Water Wave
Rising waves of water are considered a symbol of the eternal return of life and - in this context - fertility.

rain characters
There are several types of rainy signs, but they all express the same thing: fertility and luck (sbringer).

Mountain range
The characteristic jagged line is a sign of harmony, friendship and home. It acts as a typical motif of the Navajo people (second largest Native American people in the United States).

moon
With the classic sickle, the Indians symbolize a earth-bound wisdom and serenity.

Eye of the medicine man
The eye of the medicine man is a shamanic symbol and stands for spiritual wisdom.

Eagle
The eagle symbolizes love of truth and loyalty. In addition, he is considered by the North American Indians as a mediator between heaven and earth.

bear
To this day, the bear is revered as an important totem animal. In ancient times, the strong animals were considered to be pharmacists of nature - being able to discover and dig up salvaging roots and plants. In this sense, the bear is therefore a symbol of healing power.

bear Claw
The bear paw, the footprint of the animal, symbolizes the spirit of the Indians. It is associated with good and gratitude.

lightning
Representations of lightning are considered symbols of purification and renewal. They are available in different variants.

arrowhead
The upward arrowhead symbolizes authority.

Now only the matching Indian name is missing and the costume is perfect. Here are some crazy, but also authentic name ideas: //www.zhonyingli.com/indianernamen/