Wednesday, April 30, 2008

How to Keep Your Native American Jewelry Fresh and Beautiful.

Native American jewelry is not something most people "just buy". Normally, extensive thought and care go into choosing what pin, pendant, bracelet or necklace you will add to your adornment options.

Strangely, thoughtful care often becomes an afterthought when the object of your affection has been acquired.

If you treat your jewelry carelessly, however, you may be unhappy with how it looks when you take it from your jewelry box to wear on a special occasion.

Just how do you keep Native American Indian jewelry looking fresh, clean, sparkly and vibrant?

Let's start with the metals.

Solid silver is too soft to be used in most jewelry. To give silver strength, it is combined with another metal, usually copper. The result is "Sterling Silver", if at least 92.5% silver is in the alloy. Having achieved that state, it should be stamped with the words "sterling" or STR. That is the best indicator that the silver in your jewelry is, in fact, jewelry-grade sterling silver.

Gold is another soft metal occasionally used in Native American jewelry. Admittedly, less gold is used these days because its cost exceeds most Native American jewelry-maker's limited budgets. It also is too soft to be used unalloyed.

Gold is classified by the proportion of its combination with strengthening metals.
24 karat gold is solid gold. 22 karat gold is 22 parts gold to 2 parts of some other metal. 18 karat gold is 18 parts gold to 6 parts hardening metal. In the US, less than 10 karats cannot legally be described as gold.

Both silver and gold, even when alloyed, are very soft and easily scratched if mishandled.

Keep individual items of gold or silver jewelry in separate containers. Avoid letting them to rub against one another. The best protection is to wrap each piece in jeweler's tissue and place each in a separate sealable plastic bag. For silver, this has the added value of discouraging tarnish.

The most commonly used stones in Native American jewelry are turquoise, coral, lapis lazuli, shell, malachite, gaspeite, jet, amber, sugilite, opal and mother of pearl. All of these are also very soft, although harder than silver and gold. But they are no match for diamonds and other gem stones, such as rubies and emeralds, which may be found in other jewelry.

It is sensible to buffer every piece of jewelry from other pieces in the same container, especially if they are stored with jewelry containing harder gem stones. Use cotton cloth or tissue to protect the pieces, especially if traveling, when the carriers can be jostled.

Safe cleaning of jewelry requires some specific cautions. The best cleaning materials are warm water with or without a small amount of liquid soap. In any case, do not soak the item for more than a few minutes in order to avoid discoloration of the stones.

Some companies promote commercial cleaners as safe for jewelry. It may be true or it may not. At least, read the instructions carefully before using to be sure a commercial cleaner can used with the stone or metal you are cleaning. Personally, I prefer to err on the side of caution and only use a commercial cleaner when the process recommended above is insufficient.

Ultrasonic cleaners, which may be safe for diamonds and other harder gem stones, are not safe for turquoise, coral, malachite or similar materials used in Native American jewelry.

Do not use bleach or any strong cleaners to clean jewelry with turquoise, coral, malachite or similarly soft stones. Bleach can discolor the stone or cause its vibrancy to fade.

For the same reason, do not wear jewelry in a swimming pool or hot tub. The chlorine or bromine used to disinfect pool water is unsafe for the most stones in Native American jewelry.

Silver and gold jewelry is best cleaned a soft cloth, such as a polishing cloth specifically made for the purpose. I encourage you to pick up polishing cloths either when you buy the jewelry or before you clean it. Some Native American jewelry dealers, such as <>Beaded necklaces should be stored flat in order to avoid the thread from stretching. Stretched threads can break. That can be tragic with a beaded necklace.

Inlay and channel work require special care. Inlay is a Native American jewelry technique in which individual stones are cut to prescribed sizes and shapes so that they can be set against each other within the bezel or metal lip that will hold them. Inlay work is extremely delicate and requires great skill.

Channel work is an allied technique, in which the stone pieces are set within silver or gold channels. Channel work, while also demanding, is somewhat more forgiving for the person cutting and setting the stones, because of the metal around each piece of stone.

Do not attempt to reshape or bend a bracelet, choker or pendant, or resize a ring with inlay or channel work. Changing the shape of the underlying metal can loosen the stones. At worst, they can actually pop while the item is being bent. At best, the integrity of the setting is compromised so that a jar or jolt can cause stones to dislodge.

If this happens to a piece of jewelry you have acquired, it is best to return it to the original artist for resetting. It is important, therefore, to keep a record of where you bought the item and, if known, the name of the artist.

Remove jewelry when doing housecleaning or other chores around the house, such as gardening. Dirt can get into stone settings and scratching of surfaces is more likely when you are preoccupied with the activity.

Wait until after makeup has been applied or hairspray has been used before putting jewelry on. These can contain substances that are harmful to jewelry. Keeping your jewelry clean is easier than cleaning it, and it makes it easier to cleaning when you must do so.

When cleaning jewelry, it is safer to do so over a small bowl of cleaning solution and a bowl of clear rinse water than over the sink. A dropped piece of jewelry can be scratched by the sink material and a loose stone can be lost down a drain. Some experts suggest placing a strainer over the drain if you are required to use running water to rinse the item.

Do not change jewelry over a tile or wood floor. If you should be unlucky enough to drop a piece and it hits the hard floor it could be damaged. A soft carpet or a bedspread is much more forgiving.

If you have several pieces of valuable jewelry, I recommend acquiring a safe in which to store them when not being worn. Of course, nothing will completely stop a determined thief or burglar, but a safe may slow the perpetrator long enough protect your possessions. The safe should also have a high fire rating so that your precious metals and stones will be protected from heat if a fire breaks out near the safe.

When washing up, do not place your jewelry on a shelf over the sink or in direct sunlight for an extended period. Do not cook over a hot surface or flame while wearing jewelry. Even a modest amount of heat can damage the stones.

Do not keep opals or pearls in plastic bags. They need to breathe.

Never use toothpaste or any other abrasive to clean jewelry. What's effective for teeth can scratch jewelry.

Traveling? As indicated, always pack your jewelry items so that they are protected from one another in transit. I would never pack them in checked baggage. That is asking for trouble. It is much safer to carry them on you person or in carry on luggage where you can keep an eye them.

Native American jewelry is created by skilled artisans based on generations of tradition and embraced by great passion and love for the items and their components. When you buy and wear any Native American-made necklace, bracelet, pin, pendant or pair of earrings, you are carrying forward a tradition of love and beauty. Following the preceding guidelines will mean that your Native American jewelry will please you for years to come.


About the Author

William Ernest Waites and his wife, Susanne, have owned and operated a Native American jewelry dealership and tribal art business for 25 years, first in Chicago and most recently in Florida. Their online gallery of Native American jewelry is at Native-JewelryLink.com

Article Source: Content for Reprint

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This article was written by me for general publication by anyone else who wants to pick it up. You read it here first.

Virginia Dooley, 1943-2008: Taos figure was aide to tribal artist, R. C. Gorman

Dooley, R.C. Gorman worked together for three decades

Taos artist R.C. Gorman had two strong women in his artistic life: Virginia Dooley and Rose Roybal.

Dooley died Friday in Taos, New Mexico, a town that Gorman worked in (and from) for most of his career.

The three were a formidable art force in Taos, and in all of Native American Indian art, while operating Gorman's Navajo Gallery. Roybal died in 2002. She was Gorman's official housekeeper and cook, while Dooley was his protector, publicist, and promoter. It was said that no one could get close to Gorman without first being cleared by Dooley.

Gorman died in December 2005.

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As long-time admirer's of the work of R. C. Gorman, we mourn the tribal art world's loss of a significant art and creative force with the passing of Virginia Dooley.

William & Susanne Waites, Aboriginals: Art of the First Person

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Skinner American Indian & Ethnographic Art Auction, 5/10/2008

Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, will host an auction of American Indian and Ethnographic Art on Saturday, May 10th at 10:00 a.m. in its Boston gallery. According to Douglas Deihl, director of Skinner’s American Indian and Ethnographic Art department, “This is one of the best quality American Indian and Ethnographic sales Skinner has ever had.”

American Indian
From the Plains and
Great Lakes area comes a number of beautiful beadworks, including moccasins, bandolier and pipe bags. In total, 150 plus lots will be offered from the region including a Plains pictorial muslin tepee liner (lot 295, est. $30/40,000), depicting a warrior’s exploits. Also featured from the Plains is a collection from Mordecai Thomas Bartram, a Quaker employed at the Great Nemaha Agency from 1871 -1873 who was in charge of the government store among Indians in Nohart, Nebraska. Bartram’s collection descended within his family and includes a prairie painted parfleche trunk (lot 256, est. $20/30,000); a carved elk horn quirt (lot 257, est. $20/30,000); a beaded buffalo hide possible bag (lot 258, est. $25/35,000); and a carved elk horn hide scraper (lot 259, est. $40/60,000).

Lots of interest from the Great Lakes include an early beaded cloth shot pouch and powder horn set from the first quarter of the 19th century (lot 335, est. $15/25,000); silk appliqué beaded cloth leggings and pony beaded sash (lot 336, est. $10/15,000); and a Southeast beaded cloth bandolier bag from the Seminole tribe (lot 337, est. $8/12,000). Also being offered is an exceptional group of sashes, many from the late 18th to early 19th centuries (lots 322-332, estimates ranging from $600 on the low end to $20,000 on the high).

From the Northwest Coast area, highlights of note include a rare carved stone mortar (lot 345, est. $5/7,000); a carved wood totem pole (lot 348, est. $6/8,000); a canoe-shaped carved wood bowl (lot 363, est. $8/12,000); a pair of painted hide leggings (lot 369, est. $5/7,000); a Kwakwaka’wakw carved wood mask (lot 372, est. $10/15,000); a unique pair of Southern Northwest Coast carved wood dolls depicting two infants strapped into cradles (lot 375, est. $3/5,000); a very nice rattle (lot 376, est. $15/20,000); and a number of carved horn spoons, the most exceptional being a ladle carved in two pieces (lot 362, est. $6/8,000).

Several stunning pieces of Navajo jewelry will be offered including a number of Southwest silver and turquoise bracelets (lot 389-392, estimates ranging from $1,000 on the low end to 2,500 at the high end); also a number of Concha belts (including lots 406 and 407, est. $6,5/7,500 and $5/7,000 respectively), the highlight being a first phase Concha belt circa 1870 (lot 411, est. $8/12,000). In addition, many nice squash blossom necklaces will be offered.

From the Southwest comes two New Mexican retablos, both depicting the Virgin Mary: the first possibly by Jose Rafael Aragon (lot 432, est. $6/8,000) and another possibly by The Quill Pen Santero (lot 433, est. $3/4,000).

A number of fine Navajo textiles will be offering such as a Germantown weaving from the late 19th century (lot 438, est. $8/12,000); and several pictorial weavings (lots 447, 448, 440, 443, and 445 with estimates ranging from a low of $1,000 to a high of $6,000).

Examples of Southwest pottery worthy of attention include three black on black plates by Maria (lots 454, 455 and 456, estimates of $5/7,000, $8/12,000 and $3/4,000 respectively). Other pieces to be featured are a Hopi jar (lot 461, est. $1,5/2,000), pottery olla from the Zuni tribe (lot 464, est. $5/7,000) and two
Acoma ollas (lot 470 and lot 472, each estimated at $6/8,000).

Finally, rounding out the offerings is a small but nice collection of baskets. Key pieces include a
California coiled basketry jar (lot 480, est. $4/6,000); a California coiled basketry bowl (lot 481, est. $2,5/3,500); a pictorial beaded basketry bowl with alternating images of a warrior and large butterfly (lot 488, est. $1/1,500); and an Apache bowl with rows of various sized animal and human forms (lot 492, est. $4/6,000).

Pre-Columbian, African and Polynesian
More than 60 lots of Pre-Columbian material will be offered featuring fine Mayan pottery. Of particular interest are a group of items circa 550-950 A.D including a cylinder (lot 41, est. $10/15,000) depicting a coronation ritual; a tripod plate (lot 40, est. $5/7,000); a figure of a prisoner (lot 46, est. $2,5/3,500), with legs painted with stripes; a figure of a male dignitary with elaborate headdress (lot 47, est. $3/5,000); and another figure of a warrior (lot 48, est. $10/15,000).

90 lots of African art grace the sale. African highlights included a carved wood helmet mask (lot 111, est. $10/15,000) surmounted with four stylized heads; a cast bronze leopard (lot 114, est. $3/5,000); a carved wood and hide harp (lot 116, est. $20/30,000), purportedly collected during a National Geographic expedition; a rare South African carved wood Zulu figure (lot 150, est. $6/8,000); and a carved wood commemorative statue (lot 152, est. $8/12,000) from the Republic of Cameroon.

Two lots will be of great interest to collectors of Polynesian art – a New Zealand carved wood bowl, Maori, 19th century (lot 162, est. $2,5/3,500); and a New Zealand carved wood hand club with stylized human figure (lot 165, est. $7/9,000).

Preview and catalog information
Previews for the auction will be held from
12 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 8th, 12 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 9th, and 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday, May 10th. Illustrated catalog #2408 is available by mail for $32 ($39 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 978-779-6241 x240. It is also available at the gallery for $29. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner's site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogs online.

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This notice is brought to you by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person as a public service. Aboriginals operates online galleries at Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink, ZuniLink and TribalWorks

Thank you.

SWAIA Announces Award Winners

The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, organizers of the annual Santa Fe Indian Market, has announced the winners of the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Awards and the 2008 Povika Awards as follows:

Lifetime Achievement - Mary Cain (Santa Clara potter), Blue Corn (San Ildefonso potter) - awarded posthumously, Mary Holiday Black (Navajo basket weaver), Lawrence and Griselda Saufkie (Hopi artists).

Povika Award - Herman Agoyo (former Governor and lifetime Tribal Council member of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo), Robert Best (former SWAIA Board member), The Institute of American Indian Arts (Leader in educating and showcasing Native American artists).

The winners will be honored at a reception and dinner on June 5, 2008 at La Fonda Hotel, 100 East San Francisco Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The event will last from 6 pm to 8 pm and will cost $50 per person.

If you are going to be in the Santa Fe area at the time, contact SWAIA at 505-983-5220 or through the web site www.swaia.org.

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Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, with websites featuring Native American (Zuni, Navajo, San Felipe and Cochiti) carvings at ZuniLink, Native American Indian jewelry (Zuni, Santo Domingo, Navajo and Hopi) at Native-JewelryLink, Pueblo and other Native American pottery (all tribes) at Native-PotteryLink and Navajo folk art at TribalWorks is proud to be a member of SWAIA.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Norval Morrisseau Slideshow

We recently stumbled on a blog from the Kinsman Robinson Gallery saluting and presenting the work of the late Norval Morrisseau, Native artist from the far north who also is known as the Grand Shaman.

We have not carried Norval Morrisseau's work, although we always have admired it.

Now, we are happy to commend to you a site that offers an artistic retrospective.

Here's the address:

http://genuinemorrisseau.blogspot.com/2008/04/inside-morrisseaus-studio.html

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At TribalWorks.com, as lovers of all forms of Native Art, we are happy to collaborate with others who share that love.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

How To Avoid Scams When Shopping Online?

Today' article is a guest shot by Amy Nutt, who shares her experiences with online shopping.

Online shopping is a convenient way to have all your shopping needs fulfilled. You can buy all sorts of goods from any part of the world, without leaving your doorstep. However, you have to be careful when you shop online, lest you become a victim of the many online scams prevalent nowadays.

1. First and foremost, you have to know who you are actually dealing with. Go through the Better Business Bureau and the local consumer protection agency for some feedback of the companies you are planning to buy from. If you are using an online auction site, go through its feedback forum to take a look at the track record of the seller before making any bid.

2. You are bound to receive numerous mails with offers from unknown companies. Don't entertain them as they are more likely to be fraudulent.

3. While learning more about the seller, don't forget to get the name, the physical address, the cost of the services or products offered, additional charges to the selling price, and the shipping charges as well.

4. To avoid falling into an online scam, you have to first find out how much time is required for the sending of the products. Don't forget to go through the seller's privacy policy to find out about their cancellation and return policy.

5. The safest way to pay for your online purchases is with a credit card. This is especially true if you are buying something that will be delivered later. According to the federal law, you can dispute charges if you don't receive what you were promised. It is also possible to dispute rights if you find any unauthorized charges added to your credit card.

Look for signs of secure online purchases

Once you have chosen the product you want and intend to make payment, ensure that the payment site is a secure one. This means that the beginning of the website address has to change from "http" to "shttp" or "https". This is because these changes indicate that the information you provide will be encrypted into a code which only the seller can have access to. A symbol of a broken key that becomes whole, or a padlock that closes, ensures a secure page.

You may find some pop-up screens on a company's website. These screens are usually created by identity thieves and they will show blanks for providing personal information. If you see such screens, don't entertain them. Remember that legitimate companies never ask for personal information through pop-up screens. Installing pop-up blocking software can help you avoid these online scams.

Make sure you retain documentations of orders

When you place an order for an online purchase, you may either come across a final confirmation page or receive one by email. This page has to be printed, and filed until you receive the product you ordered. This will act as the proof that you have placed an order.

Also, you have to be aware of your rights when making online purchases. According to federal law, orders that are placed via phone, mail or the internet have to reach the customers on the promised dates. If no delivery date is stated, the product has to reach within 30 days of placing the order.

In case you don't receive the goods on time, you have the right to cancel the order and demand a refund. Additionally, there is usually no general three day cancellation right on goods purchased, but you have the right to reject defective and misrepresented merchandise.

Always be wary of people who seek your personal information for no reason. Nowadays, identity thieves are becoming craftier in their ways of getting personal information from innocent suspects. Also, installation of spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software and updated firewalls are all great measures to prevent you from becoming a victim of any scam when you make online purchases.

About the Author

Visit our online shopping mall y enjoy the safest online shopping way on the net. We offer many products from the major brands for your shopping pleasure.



Article Source: Content for Reprint

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Tribal Artery does not endorse any vendor recommendations offered by the guest artist, but does agree in general with precautions the author suggests. As dealers in tribal art for almost 30 years, the last 10 years on line, we are very aware of the ruses that sellers may use to misrepresent tribal art objects or to promise deliver of material they don't have.

We will continue to occasionally bring you articles from free lance authors when we believe they are relevant to our activities at Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink, TribalWorks and ZuniLink. Click on any of the preceding links to learn more about tribal art at Aboriginals: art of the First Person.

Thank you.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Troy Sice Nativity Released to the public

Well, we have notified the two parties who had asked for the Troy Sice nativity set some months ago. We have not received an answer from either party.

Perhaps their interest has waned.

But we think this is one to the most impressive carving sets we have encountered in 25 years in the business.

So we want to see that it gets a good home.

If you are interested, take a little internet journey to ZuniLink and click on the link for corn maidens and figures. You'll see it here.

Thanks for your interest.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Troy Sice's antler nativity set has arrived

Several weeks ago, we had in our inventory a beautiful antler nativity set carved by Zuni, Troy Sice. People loved it. We included it an ad we ran in Native Peoples magazine. It sold in record time and we received numerous inquiries about it.

We advised those who were interested that we would try to get one or more additional sets.

We got lucky. This week two additional sets came in.

One went out immediately to a customer who told, when you get it, charge it.

It's already on its way to its new owner .

The second set is still available. But. We had two additional parties who were interested "back then".

We are waiting to hear from the first. If we don't hear back, we will contact the second one. If he declines, the set will be here to go to the first party that lets us know he or she wants to purchase it.

The price will be $1,700.

In our opinion, you will not find one anywhere else.

Thank you
ZuniLink

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Another sotheby's Auction - African and Oceanic, May 16, 2008

Here's another auction at Sotheby's NY that may be of interest to collectors and fans of tribal art. This one features African and Oceanic.

Sotheby's usually posts an online catalog at its auction sites. Or you can order a printed copy delivered by mail.

EXHIBITION Dates and Times

Location: New York

Viewing:
Sat, 10 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Sun, 11 May 08, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Mon, 12 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tue, 13 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wed, 14 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sale:
Thu, 15 May 08, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Sotheby's American Indian Art Auction - May 21, 2008

Sotheby's has announced an auction of Native American art in its New York Gallery (Details below)

Exhibition Dates and Times

Location: New York

Viewing:

Sat, 17 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sun, 18 May 08, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Mon, 19 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tue, 20 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Sale:

Wed, 21 May 08, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thu, 22 May 08, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM


Provided as a public service by Aboriginals: art of the First Pers0n, dba ZuniLink, Native PotteryLink, Native-JewelryLink and TribalWorks.

Tribal Art Show in New Jersey

New Jersey residents and those nearby may enjoy a tribal art show in Montclair on April 21, 2008 from 11 am to 5 pm.

Location -
Montclair Art Museum, 3 South Mountain Ave, Montclair, NJ 07042

For more information, go to http://montclairartmuseum.org/

We can't get there but anyone who visits is invited to post a review in our comments section.

Thank you.
Aboriginals: Art of the First Person dba TribalWorks, Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink and ZuniLink

Friday, April 18, 2008

Online Tribal Art Gallery Underwrites Concerts

If you live in the signal area of WGCU-FM, Southwest Florida Public Radio, you may be interested to know that Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, also known as Aboriginals Gallery, has contracted as a partial underwriter for a series of delayed broadcasts of the Sanibel Music Festival 2008 concerts on WGCU-FM .

This is the fourth year that Aboriginals has underwritten the concerts. William Waites, co-owner of Aboriginals, stated, “We have been supporters of the Sanibel Music Festival for many years. When the opportunity arose to underwrite the delayed concert broadcasts we did not hesitate. Even today, with our physical gallery on Sanibel closed, and our business being exclusively on the Web, we feel a strong allegiance to Sanibel and to the Sanibel Music Festival. We are happy and proud to continue our association with it and WGCU-FM, Southwest Florida Public Radio.”

The six concert broadcasts start on May, 2008 and air on Thursday nights at 8 pm.

Aboriginals: Art of the First Person hosts Web sites at ZuniLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com and TribalWorks.com, each featuring a different aspect of authentic tribal art. The online galleries also publish a regular blog, TribalArtery.blogspot.com, about various aspects of tribal art.

Previously Aboriginals had a physical gallery on Sanibel Island, Florida for 17 years.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

San Francisco Tribal Art Show Review

A recent blog from Tribalmania reviewed the recent San Francisco Tribal & Textile Arts show in the San Francisco area.

The review was generally positive with reports of substantial sales by many dealer/exhibitors. Specifically mentioned were Joel Cooner, Vicki Shiba, Michael Hamson, Michael Evans and Tribalmania Gallery.

Not all was "upbeat' about the show, however. The reviewer speculated that sales were off by 10% to 20%, which was attributed in small part to US economic conditions and to greater degree to the weakness of the US dollar vis a vis the Euro, the currency of European dealers who are frequently sellers.

For a more complete reading of the review, visit this link.
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Offered as a public service by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its alliad online gallery at TribalWorks.com

Monday, April 14, 2008

African and Oceanic Art in Paris

A recent blog in my RSS inbox from Paris praised a temporary exhibit at the Muse'e Jaquemart-Andre', Art d'Afrique et d'Oceanie.

The museum's web page can be accessed here. While it is presented in the French language and the photography does not focus on individual pieces, the gallery photos reveal a very moving presentation of the top pieces from the Barbier-Mueller Collection.

If you are in or near Paris, you will be rewarded by a visit to the Muse'e Jaquemart-Andre'. If not, a visit to museum's Web site has its own instructive benefits.
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Offered in the interest of expanded appreciation of tribal art, by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its online gallery featuring quality African tribal art.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Who is Emery Eriacho?

Emery Eriacho is one of the most productive fetish carvers at Zuni.


But he didn’t grow up there. His childhood home was in Southern California.


As a teenager, Emery came across some Zuni bear carvings in a nearby shop. He was so taken by them that he decided to move back to Zuni and become a carver.


His success in that endeavor is apparent in the beauty and abundance of his work.


Emery’s early mentors were Andres Quam and Daisy Natewa. Traces of that past can still be seen in his work.


But he certainly has established his own style and following.


We have many of Emery’s carvings in stock and many customers who collect his work, especially his bears.


A hallmark of his work is his ability to find the finest quality stones, be they turquoise, malachite, serpentine, Picasso marble, pipestone (Catlinite) or others.


This is accentuated by a deft handling of the stone to find the most moving presentation of the stone’s grain or matrix.


The bear is widely regarded as a creature of healing. With his special gift, Emery is able to transmit that spirit to any owner who seeks and believes in it.


Occasionally, Emery is assisted by his wife, Glenetta, who polishes and secures the offering bundles, and his brother Jeff., who helps with polishing. More and more, however, Jeff Eriacho is doing his own carvings. He is following the tradition of creativity trail-blazed by Emery.

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Offered as an informative service by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its related online galleries: ZuniLink, TribalWorks, Native-PotteryLink and Native-JewelryLink.

You are invited to visit all, but especially the three pages of Emery Eriacho carvings at ZuniLink.

Thank you.

More thoughts on internet security

We reported previously on some security tips from Trend Micro, the anti-virus people.


Here are more:


If you are required from time to time to use an internet connection in a café, hotel, library or business center, you don’t know what security measures they may have taken. You don’t want to leave your files open to leaks or corruption.


Use a thumb drive,
also known as a flash drive. You can download anything you want to save to the external drive and you won’t have to delete files from the temporary internet computer.


Don’t allow the public computer to remember your passwords.
Not a brain-twister. But it is surprising how many times computers in public places default to asking if you want a password remembered on the computer. Don’t check yes or you will leave your password behind for the next user.


Be sure to clear all the files you have been using
– including caches, history, passwords and temp files - before you log off.


Do NOT bank online from a public computer
. There may be times when you have to but I can’t think of any in which you couldn’t wait until you had access to a private computer. It’s just too risky. Better to use the phone or an ATM.


If you are interested in Trend Micro Security software, visit their web site to learn more.


Be safe. Be happy.

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This message is provided as a public service by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its Websites featuring Zuni and other Native American fetish carvings,
authentic fine Native American Indian jewelry
,
handmade, collector-quality Native American pottery

and a pot pourri of tribal art from Africa, Australia, Native America and the Arctic.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Buying online – Don’t be afraid. But be careful.

With gas prices soaring and airplanes staying on the ground, there is a lot more justification for shopping and buying on line.


Many people are seeing the wisdom of this thinking. Others continue to harbor fears about the “security” of the web.


Trend Micro, providers of virus protection and other computer security products, just issued a list of personal information they feel you should be careful not to share on line.


They point out that the traditional concern about the security of credit card information is no longer the most important concern. There are a number of safeguards in place so that the worst that is likely to happen is an unauthorized shopping spree. Banks and credit card companies have established ways to deal with that problem if it happens, regrettable as it would be.


Potentially more damaging, by a large margin, is the threat of identity theft. (As a recent, previous victim of an attack on my identity, I know how frightening it can be. I wrote about this in an early blog message.)


Trend Micro says there are things to do and NOT to do online.


First among the things to protect is your Social Security number. No one needs this information except the government when you are applying for certain benefits or information. Even then, my advice is to not give it out unless YOU initiate the contact, and not by responding to link in an email message.


Trend Micro’s second recommendation is to read the privacy policy. If you don’t like the web site’s description of how it protects your personal and private information, leave it. My observation is that anyone asking for your information should have an ironclad rule about privacy protection and should state in straightforwardly. At our web sites, we do. We NEVER SHARE YOUR INFORMATION with any other parties, except the merchant service that processes the charges. We also don’t retain it on our computer files, where some skillful hacker might be able to get at it. If we keep it at all, we keep it as “hard copy”.


Third, Trend Micro suggests that organizations, such as newspaper or newsletter sites, will ask for birth dates and ZIP codes in order to gather demographic information. They suggest that, if you are inclined to provide this information, don’t feel you have to be 100% accurate. It makes no difference to the data collector if your birthday is in May or November, or if the last two digits of your ZIP code are spot on. But the correct information can help a data thief.


Trend Micro goes on to warn that you should not submit information in any form that does not have URL that reads “https” instead of “http”. That “s” means the page has been “secured” or encrypted so that the information can only be read by the recipient of the form. Three of our websites have Secure Certificates; the fourth has a link to the secure form on one of the other sites. TribalWorks , Native-JewelryLink , Native-PotteryLink , ZuniLink . Either way you are covered.


If you still are queasy about sending information over the internet, you can call most companies toll-free – our number is 1-800-305-0185. Or you can pay using Paypal, which only requires you to register your credit card with them one time. We accept Paypal.


We also accept personal checks by mail.


Many of our customers order from overseas and toll-free phone numbers can be problematic. In those cases, as a last resort, if the secure order form doesn't activate, we suggest that buyers split the elements of their credit card information over three or four separate email messages. With billions of email messages flying through cyberspace, there is little likely hood any third party can capture enough information to be of value to them.


Trend Micro continues by pointing out that vagueness in online profiles is not a sin. Especially if on social sites, your friends already know where you live. Anyone else who wants to have that information is most likely the kind of person you'd rather not have it. On job boards, leave your phone number off your resume and create a special email address specifically to receive inquiries.


Another source says that the information that you think is least important, could be most valuable to an identity thief – your email password. If some one can get into your email account, they can have a wealth of other information redirected to them by changing the password. When you set up your passwords, use a mix of upper case and lower case letters and numerals. Such a password is much more difficult to crack.


Be safe. Be assured. If you are cautious about who you share information with and how you share it, doing business online is no more dangerous that doing business off line.


This blog message is brought to you by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its web sites at
Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink, TribalWorks and ZuniLink in hopes that it will make your online activity safer and and more satisfying.