The origins of art therapy in ancient and native arts.

As long as humanity exist on the Earth, people feel necessity of expressing their emotions, feelings, thoughts and mood conditions through giving a shape for it, through giving names to the Gods and looking for the ways to demonstrate their fear or admiration into the face of unknown. Rock paintings could show us an example of dealing with anxiety that were coming by experimenting danger in ancient ordinary life, that required surviving every minute. Also, the same function had dancing, singing, storytelling, sculpture and amulets creating – all these activities were important tools for assimilate the space of living, to control reality, to negotiate with the nature forces. Simply to say – impossible to change the weather or to be sure that wild animal won’t come to your cave, but you can assemble together pair of stones and to receive a talisman that will remind you – “I’m not afraid” or you can dance and sing for the wind or rain – and it could bring a comfort to your soul by realizing that even if you can’t do anything with a hurricane, at least you can control your body moving and manifest your courage. Making art for self-regulation is so native skill of our soul because we are making visual invisible thoughts and feelings that thrill us and by this essential creativity, we are giving the answers to ourselves how to overcome something that makes us worry.

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Interesting the way how ancient people were looking for and assimilating nature materials for their craft: stones, plants, sand, wood charcoal and sticks, ground, blood, fur, skin, feathers and bones of different birds and animals, that were living around. Discovery of what nature materials could give a color, shape, frame, canvas for an artwork was also a way of dealing with the environment and getting an experience of trying to control it, to bring into your own existence a harmony of connection with the world being. If to look at our modern art making – we don’t need thinking about how and from what to get color because we have painting tubes, different variety of pencils (charcoal, carbon, color, watercolor, etc.), pastel, gouache, wax crayons, and other staff. But searching for new methods to manage your artistic instruments could be breathtaking adventure to the roots of an essential art instinct, that could help us to avoid burn out, getting stuck into the net of negative emotions and loosing inspiration. What if to imagine that our well-known art materials are not exist anymore? We will need to mobilize our creativity for searching new tools. How nutritious and valuable could it be for us! So, backing to an experience of ancient artists might be very beneficial for our creative soul’s nature!

The examples of ancient and native arts as origins of art therapy

This image is probably an effort of ancient rock painter to handle with a wildlife around. Hands here are possible symbol of control the situation.

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Masks as phenomenal of face expression in ancient and native arts and art therapy

Carved whale bone Moon mask Inuit art of Alaska.

Here we could see face expression of emotions that coming from dealing with the Moon influence on human mood conditions. Let’s reflect what a response could we have from this mask?

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Carved whale bone & walrus ivory sculpture Inuit art of Alaska

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Dramatic mask made of stone, Roman period 1st C- 2nd C

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Transformational masks of Kwakwaka'wakw people, a Native American tribe of the Northwest Coast and Alaska