Tlingit Basket
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Decorative Baskets
Reed
Early 20th Century Canadian Native American Decorative Baskets
Other
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century American Native American Decorative Baskets
Other
20th Century American Bohemian Decorative Baskets
Wood
15th Century and Earlier Renaissance Still-life Sculptures
Bronze
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Decorative Baskets
Other
Vintage 1920s American Native American Decorative Baskets
Mid-20th Century American Native American Tribal Art
Wood, Bentwood
Early 20th Century North American Native American Decorative Baskets
Natural Fiber
Early 20th Century Native American Objects
Willow
Antique 1830s Early Victorian Decorative Baskets
Porcelain
Vintage 1920s Italian Art Deco Pedestals
Velvet, Wood
Early 20th Century Canadian Native American Native American Objects
Straw
Vintage 1910s American Native American Native American Objects
Beads
Early 20th Century British Scientific Instruments
Oak
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Sculptures and Carvings
Cedar
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Decorative Baskets
Other
20th Century American Adirondack Decorative Baskets
Hemp, Natural Fiber
Recent Sales
Early 20th Century American Native American Native American Objects
Natural Fiber
Early 20th Century American Native American Native American Objects
Early 20th Century American Native American Native American Objects
20th Century American Native American Native American Objects
Natural Fiber
Antique Late 19th Century American Native American Decorative Baskets
Early 20th Century Native American Objects
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.