Uncover Aruba`s insights through Etnia Nativa
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Etnia Nativa through Island Insight shares native cultural awareness educates and safeguards Aruba’s heritage and encourage readers to experiment island keeper state of mind.
During this episode we want to raise awareness that Rock Art is an important part of our heritage and that, contrary to popular belief, it was not created by underdeveloped cannibalistic inhabitants of a mythical era nor does it reflect maps of buried treasure nor was it intended to scare the demons or evil spirits. What rock art provides is a means to understand the sacred and mundane perspective of life.
The artistic expressions of the aboriginal inhabitants of Aruba had a cosmic vision of spiritual inspiration and visualization of the creative process of their universe. This form of artistic expression has been practiced for hundreds and even thousands of years in America continent. These are artistic expressions created as symbols that represent a stellar constellations, animals, spirits, objects or people. Some scientists even believe that the rock art represents ancient space travelers. While, for example, the European artistic style was the realism that carefully represented what was observed, Rock Art always shared a message or engraved a historical fact on a rock. But looking back at rock art, there is a very long history as the oldest known rock art to be found in North America known as the Cooper Bison Skull near Fort Supply, Oklahoma dating from 10200 BC.
In Aruba we can find over 300 early rock art expressions left behind by our ancestors. Some works were made on hard stone and on in limestone cave other similar designs where baked out of refined clay in to ceramic works. Native Aruban Art consists of powerful cultural symbols that reflect the complexities of societies and its spiritual connection to their tribal cosmology.
Etnia Nativa take great pride in harvesting their own materials, such as clay, earth pigments, or vegetal fibers or dyes to color processing their works using traditional of tribal methods handed down through generations.
Actually Etnia Nativa is rediscovering ancient techniques that have been applied in their contemporary native inspired work. This is an ideal and a very fine way to keep ancient techniques and methods alive and to incorporate cultural philosophies into these forms while working with the same cultural accountability, a philosophical tenet that transcends chronology or material but still allows their motive and ambition to be shown.
As a native cultural Aruba’s expert, Etnia Nativa is passionate about sharing her knowledge of the island, considering the status and value of archeological and rock formation sites, historic natural monuments and endemic flora and fauna. For all these reasons, and just for you, the doors of a museum home open that advocates for sustainable management of our environment and for the mitigation of the demographic impact on our ecosystem promoting “the return to ancestral practices” giving visitors more reasons to love Aruba.
Now if you are intrigued the islands origins and its cultural heritage we encourage you to do something different outside the tourist grid. Be one of the exclusive visitor of Etnia Nativa private residential set were you will be able to touch and be touched by authentic Aruba, an spectacle of native art, archaic as well as archaeological artifacts, lithic tools colonial furniture and many collected items. Get inside a recycled environment full of peace and relaxation, knowledge and information.
Etnia Nativa is since 1994 the home of Anthony our acclaimed, columnist, local artist and island expert who guides and lectures you through his resplendent home. Here is the sole place to recreate and be introduced to an authentic glimpse in to native Aruba. Something completely different for a change, a contemporary native experience!
Appointment is required. 
+ 297 592 2702 or. etnianativa03@gmail.com
