The wooden dough bowl is a true expression of Indian art and Native style living. In the northern part of Mexico, high in the mountain regions, the Tarahumara people have rugged lifestyles and live in humble dwellings. They make handcrafts, like wooden dough bowls, in order to earn a living. I have always appreciated the intricate baskets, weavings, jewelry and other hand-crafted items created by this Tribe. It is fascinating that although the women are primarily in charge of making the handcrafts, the Tarahumara men enjoy working with wood and create exquisite pieces of art using simple and unsophisticated tools. Along with wooden dough bowls, they also carve wooden spoons, figurines and traditional game balls to use in traditional foot races. These items made of wood have a rustic beauty, complimented by the nature and quality of the wood.

You will also find it fascinating how the traditional dough bowls are made. The fashioning of the wooden bowl is begun by hand chiseling a piece of native yellow pine taken from a fallen tree trunk. American Indian log bowls are made by splitting the trunk in half and then roughly cutting it with an axe. The wood is then carved into a bowl like shape with a machete or large knife, giving it that one of a kind, rugged and hand-crafted design. This classic style is the same way that antique dough bowls have been made throughout the mountain region for centuries.

As you learn about these interesting Native people, you will discover that the wooden dough bowl is very important to the Tarahumara home. It is used to hand-grind corn and wheat to make hand-made tortillas, an essential part to the Tarahumara diet. They then begin by breaking the kernels into a stone bowl called a metate. The dough bowl is used to catch the flour at one end of the metate as it is ground. Water is then added to the flour in the bowl and tortillas are made by hand from the dough. Although still used by the Tarahumara people for food and other cooking purposes, today dough bowls are made available to the public for rustic home decorating and as Indian art for collection.

You will find a way to use dough bowls for many things. They look great as collectibles, fruit bowls, and when used with rustic decorating accessories. They are also great when used for art projects when a blank canvas is needed for rustic style paintings and other Native American style artwork. Dough bowls, painted with southwestern, Native American and western designs and scenes, are very popular and are a great way to bring the old west to life in your home decorating. A painted dough bowl is a wonderful main feature for any Native style room, cabin, lodge or ranch style home by using the rich warm colors unique to Native style art.

You can buy wooden dough bowls online and in many stores that sell southwestern and American Indian style home decorating items. It is easy to give genuine Native style to your home, or to give your room splash of color by including a rustic, painted dough bowl along with your decor. If you like the timeless customs and American Indian way of life, you will love having a piece of their amazing artwork as part of your home decorating. To add true Native culture to your home and produce a look that is definitely authentic, try adding a genuine native style wooden dough bowl to your home decor.