Did you know that Native American Heritage Day falls on Black Friday? And that November is Native American Heritage Month? Even if you’re one of the five million Indigenous people in the USA, you might not celebrate it. It only officially went on the calendar in 2009.
The intention is that all Americans will come to understand and appreciate the First Americans. Unfortunately, fewer than half of the federally recognized tribes supported this new law. Many Native Americans felt insulted by the timing, as if it was an afterthought. After all, Black Friday is a big shopping, slow news day. No one talks about Indigenous people around Thanksgiving if it’s not the legend about the Indians feeding the Pilgrims. It really does feel unjust to gloss over the First Peoples with a second-class holiday. That’s why we want to turn things around. We want to spread the word that November is special beyond turkey day.
Where to Begin with Native American Nail Art
If you find Native American culture fascinating and wish you knew more, that’s a great start. There’s a lot of beautiful Indigenous art that can inspire your nail designs. If you’re into patterns, look up Navajo blankets, Zuni pottery, and Karok baskets. Tlingit totems have stunning mythical creatures while Plains tribes have designs that are easily recognizable as Native American. You might find you need a more extensive color choice for all the ideas you get. We can recommend DND DC nail polish since it has 400+ colors available in both lacquer and gel.
As you find inspiration in Native art, you’ll soak up culture and learn about current issues. For example, Native Americans living in reservations are often at high risk of toxic exposure. That’s because they source food locally and are easily affected by spills from pipelines and contaminated sites.
Speaking of food, while you enjoy the next pumpkin spice cookie or latte, did you know that pumpkins are an Indigenous food? Or that what Native Americans taught settlers about beans, corn, and squash was legit, not a myth? There’s a lot of amazing things we can learn from the first people here.
Spread The Word
Each time you include Native, Indigenous, or Aboriginal designs in nail art, you have a unique opportunity. As you talk about the symbols or colors, you can also mention the culture and history. Imagine if you created something like these Aztec nails. The geometric style uses just three colors: a cream base, black, and a shade like “027 Blue or Green” LDS gel polish. In Aztec art, even simple patterns have cosmological significance. Moreover, you can still see the ancient influence in modern Mexican and Southwest art.
The color turquoise stands for the sky and water. It means plentiful harvests, health, and protection. That’s why you’ll frequently see this shade and stone used in Native American designs.
Another easily identifiable theme in Native designs is the dreamcatcher. This symbol has roots in the Ojibwe tribe. The Spider Woman, Asibikaashi, placed women in charge of weaving these special webs to protect infants from harm. If you were to include cat eye shimmer in a dreamcatcher design like this, Lavis gel polish has a gorgeous selection of colors.
Conclusion
When you add Native American designs into your nail art, you’re doing more than creating something beautiful. You’re celebrating a rich heritage and helping to share its stories. This November, let your nails be a way to honor and spread awareness of Native traditions, history, culture, and current events.