Final answer:
When explorers and settlers first arrived, Indigenous art was viewed as primitive, misunderstood through a colonial lens, and often inappropriately collected. The traditional Indigenous lifestyles and art forms changed due to the European incursions, eventually leading to art being commodified. Today, Native American artists are experiencing a resurgence, bringing their traditions into modern styles while still confronting persistent challenges and stereotypes.
Step-by-step explanation:
When explorers and settlers first arrived, Indigenous art was often viewed through a problematic and colonial lens, being classified as primitive and lacking the complex cultural significance it held for Native peoples. European and Euro-American collectors and anthropologists often regarded Indigenous objects as mere curiosities or artifacts of "dying" cultures, sometimes acquiring them without the consent of Native communities, and placing them in museums more as ethnographic specimens rather than as works of art. This approach heavily impacted how Native American artwork was perceived and collected, and aspects of this legacy persist today, despite a growing appreciation for the intrinsic value and meaning of these pieces.
Native American art included a variety of portable art forms like baskets, clothing, and sculptures, suitable for the nomadic lifestyles common among many Indigenous people who did not conceive of land ownership in the same way Europeans did. With the arrival of European settlers, the disruption of Indigenous lifestyles and forced relocations to reservations affected artwork creation, turning it into a commodity for trade and tourism. By the early 1900s, much of the traditional Native ways of life and artistic expressions had been lost or transformed.
Today, there is a resurgence and transformation in Native American art where artists are reclaiming their cultural identities and incorporating them into contemporary artworks. However, the struggle for recognition and against historical stereotypes continues, as Indigenous Peoples still face challenges related to poverty, educational opportunities, and the wider impacts of environmental degradation and climate change.