Traditional designs vs. contemporary

[iolana1]

Ok all here's the big question. How many of you out there really go by traditional designs and colors? And if so what colors and how long?

[notsocheese]

Since my sister does our beadwork, she's the one who comes up with the designs. The outfit I have now the patterns are mostly oakleafs, since we're Kiowa. The colors of my outfit are mostly blue and yellow and those are our family colors (on my paternal grandmothers side).

[uw_n8iv]

yeah...traditional designs and colors. well....my mom is instrumental in designing what I'm going to wear...and she has her own style of desinging and beading...but we know how to use and wear traditional designs. so i have a dentalium shell cape (we used dentalium before we used trade beads), and my beadwork is white, orange, yellow, and blue (more from the 1960's) BUT everwhere in my beadwork is the chevron in blue, green, and red.....symbol for woman (from the 1800's)

then i have another beadwork set that i just started wearing.....the design is more from around the 1950's.

the main thing my mom says is that, "your beadwork and your outfit tell people who you are"...so my outfit has elements of my culture, my family, and my achievements

[kiowakat]

I personally stay with the 19th century traditional Kiowa designs and colors. Such as, cobalt blue, white, red (white heart and clear), greasy yellow to name but a couple. Of course from what i have found so far is that the colors and designs were mainly held to but not a steadfast rules. There are pieces from the 1800's, construction is completely Kiowa, but the beadwork is of another tribes flavor.
Aho!

[paintedsun22]

I use traditional patterns on everything I know how to do, but I use whatever colors I want. I even use red (I am firstborn and have a right to it) but only if I want to. My colors reflect my personal taste, and my style of clothing reflects my pride in my heritage.

[kiowakat]

okay I was thinking and maybe traditionalist is not a good way to describe craftwork, I been asking around and I feel we should be calling this Tribal designs verses comtemporary. what do you guys think??

[sltate]

I use the designs my grandmother, the late Mable Starr Harris, gave to me. These are Sac&Fox and Otoe designs. BUT...when I ran for Sac&Fox tribal princess(I won't say when, but yes...I am old),my grandmother made a design just for my clan and that is the one that I use exclusively.I use the other designs she gave me for my daughters dresses and then on my Ponca side, my grandmother, the late Angeline MakesNoise Primeaux Roy, gave me dresses to use and I use those also. So, that is the traditional part of my regalia.
The colors I use are will have green or blue in them somewhere because those are my clan colors, though I integrate them with other colors. I use orange and black because my dad asked me to wear his colors before he passed away. So, I base my colors and designs on tradition but I like to use the new colors that come out to bring out my beadwork. I have blue/green in my beadwork somewhere also, though I like the floral designs best. So, yeah....I use a little of both and even add some crystal rhinestones to spruce it up.LOL