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.

What are links and why do we have them?

If you have visited our web pages more than once, you may see a page identified in one way or another as containing "links".

In many ways, links are the lifeblood of the web. With literally billions of web pages, how do you find the one you are looking for? Well, you can enter a known address (or URL) in the browser and go directly to it.

If you don't know the address, or can't remember it, you must turn to a search engine. Google is the most popular, although there are many more.

So how does Google sort out from all the web sites available, the ones that are most likely to have the information you are looking for?

For any given search term there may be hundreds of web sites that could apply. Of course, the more specific your search phrase, the less guessing room there is for Google. For example, "pot" will get you one result. "Pottery" will get something else. Native American pottery will get you yet another result. And so forth.

Which brings us to "links."

They work at least two ways.

First is that they give you someplace else to look if you don't find your answers on one web site. Look on their "links" page, if they have one, and they may list a number of similar sites that require nothing more than a click from you to take a look. The links list usually includes a short description of the content on the other end of the link. Moreover, the links listed are supposed to have been vetted by the site that lists them. They should be sites that the site owner trusts more than others.

That leads to the second role played by "links". Since it is almost impossible to know which web sites are the best matches for any given search phrase, the search engine relies heavily on what other web sites think are the most appropriate sites for any subject. It's almost as if the link is a vote of confidence from the web community. Therefore, the more links a web site has, the better suited it should be answer any particular question.

That's the theory. Practice often is different. There are web sites that sell links and others that have more than hundreds or thousands of links. These links are disorganized and hardly votes of anything except avarice or attempts to "game" the link system.

Nevertheless, links can be important assets for web sites and for web searchers when all these caveats are considered. If you are on a site that has no links, ask yourself why. If there are pages and pages of links, ask yourself why. If there are a few well-organized links for sites of appropriate subject to the site you are on, they can be excellent guideposts to save you time and send you to trusted sites.

We have four web sites that feature various aspects of tribal art.

ZuniLink.com presents a wide range of authentic hand-carved fetishes, or spirit figures, from Zuni and other Native American carvers. The carvings are believed to have spiritual powers of protection, healing, cunning, wisdom and other valuable qualities.

TribalWorks.com is more like a tribal pot-pourri with sections devoted to Australian Aboriginal art, Arctic art, African tribal art and Native American Navajo folk art. Each item has been hand selected by me and Susanne as something we like well enough to keep.

Native-JewelryLink.com, as its name implies, offers beautiful jewelry in silver and gold, with turquoise, coral and other lapidary materials such as lapis, malachite, opal and sugilite. Every piece isl handmade with great care and devotion to the art.

Finally, Native-PotteryLink.com is a feast of authentic Native American Indian Pueblo pottery, created by hand-coiling, hand-firing, hand-painting and polishing in the finest traditions of Native American pottery. (incidentally, there is a 20% to 40% off sale currently in progress at Native-PotteryLink.com)

Each of the sites includes a page of links that we have found to be generally appropriate and trustworthy. Of course, there is no way to guarantee that nothing has changed with any of these sites since we last reviewed them. The only thing we can guarantee is the quality of our own offerings. Which we do by giving you a 10-day period after you receive it in which to return any item from us.

White turquoise and the sacred white buffalo

By William Ernest Waites

There periodically is a flurry of activity on the internet from people discussing, looking for or debunking so-called "white turquoise" or "sacred white buffalo turquoise."

It is a fascinating subject and one imbued with a touch of magic and mystery.

I recently read an article on the subject by a dealer who sells Southwestern art. This dealer claims to be very knowledgable about white turquoise. To give her her due, she does not claim to be a gemologist or a mining engineer.

She tells an interesting story, however, about the origin of "white turquoise and the legend behind "sacred white buffalo turquoise."

It seems it was discovered at a mine near Battle Mountain, Nevada. The mine owner had it assayed and determined that, despite its pale coloration, it was turquoise. Supposedly there was very small vein of it and the original miner has passed on, leaving the privately owned mine in the possession of his wife and children. They have decided not to continuing mining the vein.

As a result, it is even rarer today than it was when first discovered. Despite its rarity then, so rare that it was named by some in honor of the equally rare white buffalo, it was not very popular and was difficult to sell. Perhaps it was because, according to this source, it was first marketed as "porcelain".

Once it became identified as a very pale form of turquoise, with brown or black matrix and an occasional light blue or light green caste, it took on a special appeal. I suppose it didn't hurt to be associated with the sacred white buffalo.

Today, white (buffalo) turquoise is hard to come by. There are some pretenders, however. Howlite, a very white stone, is one.

Summary, if tempted to buy jewelry with white buffalo turquoise (supposedly) in it, be cautious. Be sure to reserve the right to have it evaluated by a certified gemologist, with a right of money-back return.

Actually, that is not a bad idea with any item of Native American jewelry or art. Any reputable dealer operating on line should allow you to inspect your purchase and return it within a reasonable time period if you are unhappy with it - for any reason.

That is a guarantee we offer at our web sites, ZuniLink.com, TribalWorks.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and Native-JewelryLink.com. We welcome you to inspect your purchase, let us know within 10 days if it is not what you thought it was based on its web presentation, and return it for a purchase price refund.

Native American Sales at High Noon's Weekend

Reports from High Noon's Western Americana Sale weekend are very positive - at least for sellers.

A 1880s Navajo Pictorial Germantown blanket went for $74,750 after opening at $35,000 on a $50,000 estimate.

A pair of Sioux Child's pictorial britches garnered $24,150 and a Sioux pictorial beaded jacket with fringe brought a high bid of $12,650.

High Noon also sells other non-native items from the Southwest. The next auction is on February 6, 7 and 8, 2009 in Phoenix. Bring money.

For more information, try www.highnoon.com.

This auction information is brought to you in the spirit of advancing interest in and respect for Native American history and art by William Ernest and Susanne Waites, proprietors of web sites offering high quality contemporary and historic indigenous art: TribalWorks.com, ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com and Native-PotteryLink.com .

Who's being eBilked?

In case you have not been paying attention to what is happening on eBay, there have been changes. Can greed damage a great idea?

Changes to eBay's charge structure and other things have deflated the enthusiasm of many old-line eBay merchants.

The good news is that listing charges have been reduced. The "badder" news is that fees on sales have increased dramatically, taking a big chunk out of the sales revenue of any seller on eBay.

Another change that has eBay sellers aggravated is that buyers can continue to give neutral or bad feedback about sellers. But sellers can no longer leave negative feedback about errant buyers.

It all adds up to revolution in the trenches.

If you are an eBay buyer and not an eBay seller, you may be saying to yourself,
"What's the difference? It doesn't affect me."

Here's how it may.

Many eBay sellers are leaving eBay to sell on competing auction sites. That means fewer opportunities to find what you are looking for on eBay.

Here are a few new sites you might be interested in:

OnlineAuction.com reports that roughly 7,500 new sellers have joined the site in the last week.

eCrater.com claims 33,000 active sellers and more than 1 million items up for sale.

iOffer.com is a similar arrangement but different in that it is not an auction site per se. Rather, it has sellers state an asking price and invites buyers to make an offer. After that, they negotiate interactively until both sides are happy. They claim 75,000 sellers and about 1 million users since they started in 2002.

Then, of course, you can go directly to each online merchant. Our web sites, for example, at ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and TribalWorks.com are always ready to consider and offer. We don't accept them all but we do accept many, as long as they are reasonable. And we are never offended by any.

Yahoo Groups of interest to Tribal art collectors

Here are a couple of Yahoo groups that you may find interesting and enlightening as relates to Native American art and artifacts.

One explores (and exposes) eBay listings that the members feel have misleading attributions and descriptions.

artifakesgroup@Yahoogroups.com

The other is populated by fans of turquoise who discuss various turquoise varieties and their characteristics.

americanturquoisemines@Yahoogroups.com

To join these groups, you must go to Yahoo.com and sign up. You may select to get emails every time someone posts a message to the group, or to receive daily digests or to receive no emails but have access to the groups at Yahoo at your convenience.

As collector/dealers who are interested in both subjects, we are subscribers to both group.

Perhaps we will see you there. Susanne and William Ernest Waites, proprietors of Aboriginals Gallery and its web sites at ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and TribalWorks.com

How to set up an RSS feed, and what you are missing if you don’t.

One our customers responded to my earlier mystification as to why more people don’t subscribe to the blog instead of or in addition to the email newsletter.

Her answer was that she didn’t know how to.

So, here are some instructions.

First, you have to set up a blog reader. It’s easy and it does not require any of your hard drives storage capacity.

There are several. I will recommend the one I use because I “know” it.

It’s Bloglines.

Simply go to http://www.bloglines.com.

When the page comes up, click on “register”.

You will receive a “Create an account” page that will ask for your email address, a password, a time zone and your language preference.

Click on the register button.

You will see a page that asks you to confirm your sign by responding to an email message.

You will also see a panel to the left of the page. It has four tabs at the top. You may want click on any of them, but the one you want for blog feeds is “feeds”.

When you click on that after you have confirmed your sign-up, you will get a list of all the blogs to which you have subscribed. The number in bold type will represent blog messages that you have not yet read. When you click on the blog link, the blog text will appear in the right-hand panel. Clicking on the headline will open the actual blog for you.

But first, you can click on “Download Notifier”. You will see a page that says you can download the notifier to your computer based on your browser. Click on the appropriate browser download.

You will receive some choices and warnings. I recommend you choose save (to your desktop).

After download, the “B” icon will appear on your toolbar. When a red nib appears on it, it is telling you there are unread new blogs among your chosen feeds. If you click on the “B” icon, you will go to the Bloglines page with the feeds panel.

Sounds complicated but it is not. Congratulations!! You now have a blog reader.

Next step is subscribing to a blog.

You do this by clicking on the orange RSS icon on any blog to which you want to subscribe. You will get a panel with several blog readers to send your subscription to. Click on the Bloglines icon. You will go to a Bloglines page that will allow you to subscribe to that blog.

An alternative way to subscribe is to click on the “subscribe” button and enter the address of the blog you want to subscribe to. In the case of Tribal Artery, enter http://tribalartery.blogspot.com .

Tradition vs. Innovation - What's up in Tribal art?

One of the hallmarks of tribal art is that it is rooted in tradition. Whether in Africa, where standards for authenticity are quite rigid among collectors, or Native American art, where styles and techniques often are required for acceptance into certain prestigious competitions.

On the other hand, in most other art disciplines, innovation, break-through, new looks and techniques have a premium attached to them.

Now, a new show, "RE: Generations, Legacy & Traditions", at a Minneapolis gallery explores this apparent difference. According to the Star-Tribune newspaper, gallery owner Heid Erdrich stated, "I wanted to show that, yes, there is tradition, but there is a bridge too."

Included in the show are ledger-style paintings on paper and on deer hides and beaver pelts. This brings to mind two paintings that we have in the TribalWorks online gallery. Both are paintings on rabbit pelts, with paintings portraying Southern Cheyenne scenes including a courting scene. Both were painted by Carlisle, are framed in shadow boxes and carry notation cards.

"Young Howling Wolf" on white rabbit skin 18" x 22"

"Courting" on white rabbit skin, 18" x 22"

Both are on display more extensively on our web site, which may be accessed by clicking on the images above. To visit the home page for our TribalWorks website click here.

How much does an auction cost you?

by William Waites, co-proprietor of Aboriginals: Art of the First Person gallery

If you think auctions don't cost buyers anything more than their bids, find out by checking out the next Inuit art auction announced by Waddington's.

It's an online auction on Monday, February 18, 2008 through Thursday, February 21,2008. Online viewing runs February 11 through February 15 at www.waddington's.ca/ONLINEAUCTIONS.

Actually, we like auctions and we like Waddington's, especially for their support of Inuit art. And we have no problem with them making money in return for the labors.

Nevertheless, if you have never entered into the deep water of an online auction, be careful.

Most auctions include a "buyer's premium". We don't know how much the Waddington's auction's will be.

Be sure to check before bidding. Otherwise, your winning high bid could end up costing you significantly more than you bargained for.

For more information about the impending auction visit Waddington's web site.

Three new African art masks added.

Tribal Artery is a periodic blog about tribal art brought to you by William Waites and Susanne Waites of TribalWorks.com.
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Dipping into our personal collection, we have dusted off three masks that had not previously been offered on our TribalWorks website.

Here they are, one from Liberia's Bassa people and two from the Kuba tribe of the Congo:Bassa Bundu Society helmet mask

Kuba helmet mask with raffia collar

Kuba mask with raffia coiffure

If you are an African tribal art collector or curious about African tribal art, pay a visit to TribalWorks.com, Aboriginals Gallery's web site featuring African tribal art in the context of tribal art from Australia, the Arctic, Navajo folk art, Pueblo pottery and Eastern tribal carvings.

Dee Edaakie returns. More Zuni fetishes.

Tribal Artery is a periodic blog about tribal art from William Ernest Waites, tribal art collector and trader.
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The phone rang. We didn't get to it in time.

So we placed a return call to the number.

It was Dee Edaakie, one of our favorite Zuni carvers.

Actually, he had hit the wrong number on his speed dial. When he realized he wasn't dialing his uncle, he had hung up.

We figured it was karma, since we had it on our "to do" list to call Dee about new carvings.

So we ordered and he mailed.

Now there are a handful of beautiful new Dee Edaakie carvings on our ZuniLink website.

Here are some examples:Lapis Lazuli bear by Dee Edaakie

Lapis Lazuli parrot by Dee Edaakie

Hematite bear by Dee Edaakie

Ivorystone bear by Dee Edaakie

Zebra rock bear by Dee Edaakie

Visit the web site at ZuniLink.com to see more and get more information about these and other exciting Dee Edaakie Zuni fetish carvings.

CYA - Cover Your Arts

By William Ernest Waites and Susanne Waites

As collectors, we tend to gather our treasures bit by bit. Before we know it, we have a substantial amount of money invested in our objects d'art.

In the frenzy of collecting, or the excitement of a new acquisition, we often forget to protect that investment.

We're talking keeping an inventory and insuring your collection.

Let's talk insurance first.

No, the probability is that your home owner's insurance does not cover your collection. Even if it does, it probably covers just a limited portion of it.

We occasionally hear complaints from people who have trouble finding an insurance company that does cover art and collectibles.

We recently learned of a company that claims to specialize in such insurance.

Collectibles Insurance Services, LLC, is their name. We have never used them and therefore have no recommendations pro or con about them, their policies or their service. They do have a web site (www.collectinsure.com) and it would make sense to check them out.

One of the statements they make on their web site is that appraisals are unnecessary, so you do not need to have an inventory before insuring. They recommend, however, that you maintain an inventory, complete with photos in order to expedite your claim in the event of a loss.

We would add that an inventory will help you keep track of what you own, what you paid for it, where you acquired it and when it came into your possession. Not only will it help in the event of a loss but it also will be helpful in keeping track of your "net worth." Should something happen to you, you will want your heirs to have this information.

We have seen cases where heirs inherited collections of items about which they knew nothing. Not withstanding the hours of loving time that may have gone into the collection, the entire inheritance may end up in a garage sale. Remember the last time you picked up a steal on an item at an estate sale that you knew the value of but that the seller did not?

Our advice? Create an inventory and insure your collection.

By the way, if you are recording your collection photographically, we recommend that you do it in a moving video instead of, our in addition to, still photography. One of our friends in the disaster clean-up business warns that insurance companies are very familiar with what can be done with photoshop. The often challenge the authenticity of still photographs.

Finally, if you know of other insurance companies that cover collectibles and fine arts outside of normal homeowner's policies, please add that information to the blog through a comment.
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Tribal Artery is brought to you by Susanne Waites and William Ernest Waites in a continuing effort to inform lovers and collectors of tribal art. William and Susanne are the proprietors of four web sites that feature quality tribal art, including ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and TribalWorks.com. Thank you for the time you have spent with us.

Seminole Indian Exhibit Opens Friday Night

Anyone in the greater Fort Myers, Florida, area will want to be certain to visit the Lee County Alliance for the Arts Gallery in Fort Myers for the opening of a stunning new exhibit of photographs from the collection of Woody Hanson.

Covering every wall are photographs taken of the Seminole village in the Florida Everglades and their inhabitants.

Hanson's father was a medical doctor who ministered to the Seminole sin their home villages and became trusted as a friend and ally. Hanson grew up with the Seminoles and he too came to be known as trusted friend and councillor. These photographs from his personal collection provide a unique insight into a culture that is deeply secretive. The exhibit is entitled, " A Photographic Journey with the White Medicine Man."

The exhibition opens Friday night with a special reception from 5 to 7 PM. All are invited to attend. Woody Hanson also will lecture on the culture of the Seminoles on Wednesday, January 23 and February 27. (Mark your calendars.)

The Alliance campus is located on the southeast corner of Colonial Boulevard and McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers, Florida. Enter 10091 McGregor Blvd in your GPS unit, or take the Colonial Boulevard exit from I-75, travel west until the Cape Coral Bridge, stay in the right lane to turn left under the overpass onto southbound McGregor. The campus will be on your left.
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Tribal Artery is brought to you by Susanne Waites and William Ernest Waites, who are members of the Alliance for the arts and who provide support through their online tribal art galleries, including TribalWorks.com, featuring examples of authentic Seminole dolls and baskets.

African Art takes off - well, almost

The T. Terminal of the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is home to an impressive exhibit of African art. Entitled "Symbolic Use of Animals in African Cultural Arts", the exhibit features the cultural unity of humans and animals, with numerous masks including masks of west and central Africa.

Exhibit sponsor, Herman Bigham claims, "this presentation may be the largest, most widely viewed exhibit of World Class African Traditional Sculptural Art ever displayed in a public place." Bigham advised that the exhibit was successfully presented at the Main Branch Library in Philadelphia, where approximately 25,000 visitors viewed it.

With 35 million travelers annually, the exhibit is bound to spread awareness of the beauty of African art and the rich culture of the African art tradition to millions more before it concludes its run in October, 2008.
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Tribal Artery is brought to you by William Ernest Waites and Susanne Waites, proprietors of Aboriginals: Art of the First Person online gallery, including the web site at TribalWorks.com. Numerous examples of authentic African Tribal art will be found for sale at the site.

Maidens of the Corn, a Zuni Carving Tradition

As long time collectors and dealers in Zuni fetish carvings, Susanne Waites and William Ernest Waites continue to be surprised by new collectors who are unfamiliar with Zuni corn maiden carvings. Perhaps it is because, unlike animals such as bears, frogs and turtles, a smaller group of Zuni carvers create corn maidens, almost as a specialty.

Corn maidens reflect the agricultural and ritual importance of corn to native culture. Small stands of corn are nurtured in the harsh environment to provide the pueblo with corn to be ground for flour and ceremonial purposes.

Corn maidens are emblematic of this respect for corn as a sustainer of life and spirituality.

Not all Zuni carvers carve corn maidens, although most may have done so at one time or another. As carvers mature in their ability and their marketability they tend to specialize in certain carving subjects.

Among those who specialize in corn maidens are members of the famed Quandelacy family.

Green snail shell corn maiden by Stuart Quandelacy, Zuni

Sandra Quandelacy has a long tradition of carving corn maidens, and Kateri Sanchez-Quandelacy is following her example. More recently , Talia Quandelacy has been carving corn maidens in a distinct style.

Todd Westika is another corn maiden carver, usually using shell, but occasionally othre materials such as this turquoise carving..

Todd Westika, Zuni, corn maiden from
Sierra Madre turquoise, silver inlay

Fernando Lawakete and Ron Laahty also carve corn maidens in styles that are unique to them.

Dolomite corn maiden with white marble
butterfly by Ron Laahty, Zuni

Gabe Sice also carves corn maidens, as does Daniel Chattin.

Daniel Chattin, Zuni, corn maiden of fossil
ivory with turquoise and malachite

When discussing corn maidens, it is impossible not to include other figures carved by Zunis and even Navajos. Freddie Leekya carves fascinating Zuni figures. and Troy Sice carves other maiden figures.

Navajo Andy Abeita has carved handsome corn maidens as well.

Navajo corn maiden from striped serpentine
with amber necklace, Andy Abeita

Zuni fetish carving collectors have a world of beautiful works to acquire. Many, include all those shown here, are featured at our ZuniLink.com website. You are invited to drop by and see what is available.
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Tribal Artery is brought to you by William Ernest Waites and Susanne Waites, proprietors of Aboriginals: Art of the First Person online gallery with additional web sites at Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink and TribalWorks.

Tohono O’odham, the People of the Desert

In the Sonora Desert of south central Arizona, a people reside whose ancestry goes back 100s of years. These are the Tohono O’odham, formerly know as the Pagago Indian tribe, a name translating to “bean eaters” that was rejected by the tribal members who felt it was derogatory.

The reservation, constituting more than 2.8 million acres lies in four disconnected districts, framed by borders south of Casa Grande, including portions of Pinal and Pima Counties and extending south to the Mexican border.

As of December, 2000, the population of Tohono O’odham was estimated at 24,000.

Tohono O’odham people are known principally in the Native American craft world for their baskets. Most Tohono O’odham baskets are monochromatic green or tan, the natural color of the river grass used to weave them.

This Tohono O’odham basket in our collection is a dramatic example of polychromatic weaving in an extraordinary plaque basket.

In the visual arts, Michael Chiago and the late Leonard Chana achieved recognition for paintings and drawings of traditional O'odham activities and scenes. Chiago has exhibited at the Heard Museum and has contributed cover art to Arizona Highways magazine and University of Arizona Press books; Chana illustrated books by Tucson writer Byrd Baylor and created murals for Tohono O'odham Nation buildings.

At the National Museum for the American Indian (NMAI), the Tohono O'odham were represented in the founding exhibition. Mr. Lopez blessed the exhibit. In 2004, the Heard Museum awarded Danny Lopez its first heritage award, recognizing his lifelong work sustaining the desert people's way of life.

Among the more visible aspects of Tohono O’odham are the Desert Diamond Casino, which funds a portion of the tribes activities (but not all) and a major tourist attraction near Tucson, Mission San Xavier del Bac, the "White Dove of the Desert." The mission, founded in 1700 by the Jesuit missionary and explorer Eusebio Kino, is in the San Xavier District. The current church building was constructed by the Tohono O'odham and Franciscan priests from 1783 to 1797. It is one of many missions built in the southwest by the Spanish on their then-northern frontier.

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Tribal Artery is a periodic blog by William Ernest Waites and Susanne Waites, proprietors of Aboriginals:Art of the First Person, an online gallery with links at ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and TribalWorks.com

African Tribal Art goes on sale. Save 30%

As 2008 begins, Susanne and William Waites have added some new African Tribal Art objects and, at the same time, initiated a 30%-off sale for every African Tribal Art object on the TribalWorks (African Room) website.

Among the new objects added from the Waites' personal collection is this Toma mask with raffia trim around the upper face.

(Click images for more information)

Also added were this Baga Nimba mask
and this Lega cap of wicker covered with shell and pangolin scales. (Pangolin is a scaley African ant-eater.)
To repeat - every object of African Tribal Art offered on the TribalWorks website is being offered, for a limited time, at 30% discount from the regular price. We welcome your visit.

Gold passes $850 per ounce. Can Silver be far behind?

The latest news on the metals market is that gold continues to climb in value. A while back we blogged that it was $700 per ounce and had all the signs of rising further. I guess we were right. Now, will it continue to rise? Would this be as good a time to buy gold jewelry as it was a few weeks back?

No guarantees. But we do see less and less gold being used in Native American Indian jewelry. Artists who must risk that their work will not sell - or at least not in a reasonable amount of time - are not willing to invest in metal that is expensive. Those who are working in gold appear to have stock piled some at lower prices.

We are in similar circumstances. We have a number older gold jewelry items - not a lot, but some - which have never had a price increase since we acquired them several years ago.

Andy Lee Kirk (deceased) gold pendant with inlay of coral and opal $875

Andy Lee Kirk (deceased) gold pendant with inlay $2,400

14k gold whale fluke necklace pendant with opal inlay by Yellowleaf $395

Navajo turquoise and gold necklace and earring set $375

Artie Yellowhorse necklace with gold overlay $690

14k Gold Bear on 14k chain by Yellowleaf $220

One of these days we may have to raise their prices to reflect the higher cost of replacement. For now, however, they still are available at those lower prices.

Visit us at Native-JewelryLink or TribalWorks for more information.

Swimming to Australia - Aboriginal Fish Go Home

We are happy to report that four carved wood fish from Maningrida in Australian's Northern Territory are on their way back to Australia.

These four carvings were the work Stephen Kawurlkku, a Ndjebbana man and Australian Aboriginal carver from Maningrida. Each carving is presented on a wooden base. The designs painted on the sides of the fish are based on traditional Aboriginal clan designs, known as 'rarrk".
They have been carved in a great art tradition of Maningrida, which is a small Aboriginal settlement on the Northern Coast of Australia, in what is known as ArnhemLand. When we were there and acquired these pieces, the only access from mainland Australia was by by small airplane.
This may explain why we see so few similar carvings in America.

Now an Australian buyer is adding these attractive carved fish to his collection.

We assume that this will not be his last visit to our web site at TribalWorks, where many more outstanding examples of authentic Australian Aboriginal art are available.

Seminole Photo Exhibit Scheduled

If you happen to be in the Fort Myers Florida area in January and February, you might want to make a note to stop by the Alliance for the Arts on McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers.

This organization, which is the official arts organization for Lee County as designated by the State of Florida and the County, has a handsome and friendly gallery on its campus at McGregor and Colonial Boulevards, in the shadow (figuratively speaking) of the Cape Coral bridge Colonial ramp.

The gallery will feature a special exhibition of photographs of the Seminole people, from the collection of W. Stanley Hanson. Born in 1883, Hanson was known as the "White Medicine Man". His father, a medical doctor, was a trusted friend of and councillor to the Seminole people.

Photographs that Hanson made, both intimately and respectfully, of Seminole villages, natives and culture deep in the Everglades at the time will be displayed starting January 18 through February 29, 2008.

Those who have seen these photographs describe them as a unique and privileged look into the world of the Seminoles in the 1900s. There will be special opening reception at the gallery on January 18, 2007 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

The gallery telephone number is 239-939-2787. More information about the show, "A Journey with the White Medicine Man", is available at

http://www.artinleee.org/special_events/upcomingexhibits.html

To view examples of traditional Seminole dolls and baskets, visit TribalWorks online gallery of tribal art. Scroll down to the Seminole section on the page.

Full disclosure, I, William Ernest Waites, am a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Arts. I am thrilled that this exhibition is coming to the Alliance. But I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I will, however, be there on opening night.

Cheyenne Jim Storyteller on its way

Most artists have a certain style that, while occasionally varied, tends to identify their work beyond doubt. Among Native American potters, the stylistic differentiators show up in the choice of material, subject matter and design. For no artist is this more true than for Diane Lynn, a Navajo who works under the name, "Cheyenne Jim".

We have long been fans of Cheyenne Jim's work, which often is large and dominates any art setting. Until recently we had four in our collection. This month, this one began its journey to a new home.

Cheyenne Jim Navajo storyteller finds a new owner

For a little background, Cheyenne Jim is a Navajo, despite her name, who was raised on the Navajo Nation reservation following her birth in 1957. With a rich Navajo cultural tradition, reportedly going back to her childhood, when she is said to have been deeply impressed by a Yei Be Chei ceremony she attended with her Grandmother, a Navajo medicine woman.



Some say Cheyenne Jim's work is so distinctive that it does not reflect Native American influences. We disagree. We find her choice of clay (often mica), her choice of subject matter (variations on the storyteller tradition) and her style of representation to be quintessentially Native American.

Her years as an art student at Bacone College in Muskogee, OK, appear to have influenced her artistic perspectives without seriously changing her original Navajo artistic sensibilities.

As these other Cheyenne Jim creations in our collection demonstrate, she has a style that is both very easy to empathize with and very distinctly hers.

For more information about Cheyenne Jim, we refer you to the following links.

http://www.material-insight.com/IndianArt/PeoplePhotos/JimCheyenne.htm

http://www.collectorsguide.com

We also invite you to view the many other storytellers available at Native-PotteryLink.com.
Navigate tot he Storyteller pages.

Santo Domingo Depression necklace offered on eBay

We have just posted a classic, vintage, Native American Santo Domingo Pueblo thunderbird necklace to eBay.
This necklace, which actually will not be posted until 5:45 tonight, is an excellent example of the work done by Santo Domingo women during and immediately after the Depression (ca 1930s-50s).

Since natural materials were hard to come by in the existing economic circumstances, the makers salvaged black composite from discarded auto batteries, phonograph records, broken bakelite shards, gypsum, colored plastic from combs and restaurant spoons and forks, and combined the materials with a mosaic inlay* of turquoise chips.

*In fact, it would be more apt to describe the mosaic as overlay since it was glued over the backing rather than inlaid into it.

These pieces were sold to travelers on the Santa Fe Railway when the trains stopped along the way in New Mexico. Original prices were as low as $1.

The Santo Domingo Pueblo is located just south of Santa Fe and may be accessed from Interstate 25. Today, it looks very much like it did back in the Depression days, except with newer model cars and upgraded homes. Today, however, Santo Domingo artists are doing spectacular jewelry work with finely cut and polished heishi, superb silversmithing and very detailed inlay of many natural materials, from turquoise to oyster shell.

Examples of contemporary Santo Domingo jewelry can be found at our Native-JewelryLink web site. Simply enter the search term Santo Domingo in the internal search engine, or click here for a singularly beautiful example.

The old depression-era thunderbird necklace is one of several we have collected. They will eventually be offered for sale. Watch this space, as they say, for more news.

Authored by William Ernest Waites, co-proprietor of TribalWorks.com, offering fine tribal art from Africa, Australia and the Arctic, and Navajo folk art; ZuniLink.com, featuring authentic Zuni, Cochiti, Navajo and San Felipe carvings; Native-PotteryLink.com, home to a wide range of excellent Native American collector pottery and Native-JewelryLink.com

Small carving worth $57 million

News from Sotheby's is that a small, 3 1/4 inch carving of a lion that is attributed to Mesopotamia some 5,000 years ago, just sold at auction for $57 million, including the auctioneers commission. You read it right. Fifty-seven million dollars.



It is the most that has ever been bid for a sculpture, surpassing $29 million bid for a Picasso sculpture earlier this year.



For more info, check this out.



Now, place this in the context of beautiful carvings by Zuni and other Native American carvers. Makes them look like incredible bargains, eh?



Take a look at some of them at ZuniLink.

Are you wearing a mask?

Masks have played a role in human culture for ages. In tribal settings they have been used for communicating supernatural concepts, for providing community cohesiveness, for enforcing behavior and for artistic expression. Most African tribal cultures have masking traditions, including certain aesthetic values that help to identify the distinctiveness of the tribe or people.

Yet, mask carvers always have ventured beyond simply repeating an accepted design and into variations that reflect their individual sensitivities, visions and skills. As a result, African masks in particular have evolved with a variety that makes them very desirable to art collectors and, on a more commercial basis, for decor.

Today, masks are used in masquerades and costume parties mostly to entertain and assume a make-believe role. Once, they were considered a way to change or hide one's identity. This theme shows up in theater and literature, although common sense tells us that obscuring the face is a more fantastic than real way to disguise ones identity.

Now, masks have taken on a psychological dimension, References to "masking" as a way to change one's persona show up time and again in discussions of human psychology. As an aside, we at Aboriginals: Art of the First Person have had psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists acquire masks from our gallery collection, for use in their practices and as items for professional display.

We have recently encountered another blog with a well-written discussion of masks and the masking tradition here. We also encourage you to visit our web site at TribalWorks.com to see several masks representing different African tribal aesthetics.

It pays to advertise. It costs to ignore Tribal Artery

By William Ernest Waites

We advertise in the Smithsonian Museum American Indian Magazine from time to time.

The most recent edition included our ad featuring the newly acquired Troy Sice Nativity set carved from antler. With six elegantly carved pieces it is a stunning creation by a very talented Zuni carver.

No sooner than the magazine showed up in subscriber mailboxes than we received an order for it. Whoosh! At the speed of zephyr, it was gone.

We have since received numerous inquiries from others who are interested in purchasing it or one like it. We are aggressively seeking another set or two. But this is not the kind of item that is hiding in some inventory somewhere.

So it is difficult to make the connection or even special order one or more.

Here's the irony.

If you scroll down in the Tribal Artery blog to the November 6 blog message, you will see that we announced the acquisition of the Troy Sice Nativity at that time. Had anyone seen and contacted us about it, they could have purchased it first.

So, if you are interested in Nativities, we encourage to view the other sets available on our web site at Native-PotteryLink. We have many that may be just what you are looking for.

Thank you.

Higher prices, poorer quality on tap for Santa Fe.

by William Ernest Waites

Stand by for prices to rise and service to deteriorate when buying Indian art in Santa Fe or from Santa Fe.

Why would we say such a thing?

First, a caveat. We love Santa Fe. We visit there every year. It clearly is the high-class capitol of Native American Indian art.

So it hurts us to be critical. It hurts even more when we consider what will cause the pain.

The City of Santa Fe just passed a regulation that will raise the minimum wage to $9.50 per hour, effective January 1. It also will now include all businesses that must have a city license, not just those with 25 or more employees.

How come higher prices? Someone has to cover the increase in wage costs. Since so many dealers in Native American art operate at very low and unreliable profitability to start with, they will not have the resources to pay the higher wage without raising their prices to customers who buy and collect art.

(It is uncertain what effect it will have on individual artists who would hire assistants or clerks in their studios.)

Nevertheless, Santa Fe, which, candidly, was never the least costly place to buy Indian art, will notch up to even higher prices.

Part two: why poorer service? Basically because, at $9.50 per hour regardless of experience or skill, one can reasonably anticipate that many small (less than 25 employees) retail galleries and stores will not be able to afford to hire the extra staff to serve the customer. Fewer people to serve customers usually means poorer in-store service.

For a link to an article in the Santa Fe New Mexican that discusses this story, click http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/Applause_greets_wage_law_changes

Since we are not located in Santa Fe, we are able to continue to offer Native American art at low prices, made even lower by the lack of overhead with an online store. Yet we acquire work from the same artists as those Santa Fe dealers and galleries do.

We invite you to do your holiday shopping at ZuniLink, Native-JewelryLink, Native PotteryLink and our TribalWorks Navajo Gallery.

Have a happy, (low cost) holiday.

Did You Miss "Black" Friday? You can still save at ZuniLink

'Tis the season and the stores are filling despite pressures from other expenses.

Retail sales were up 8%+ over last year's "Black" Friday.

Most experts believe that the deep price cuts that were offered by major merchandisers was responsible for prying cash out to of shoppers' budgets.

Ironically, a cross check of retail prices with prices for similar items offered on the web might indicate that the discounted prices in the stores is about equal to the regular prices on the Internet. (We know we were able to reduce our prices when we closed our physical gallery two years ago and chose to sell only on the Web.)

Then, an Internet marketer, such as us, will come along and cut prices too.

That's what has happened at ZuniLink. ZuniLink is one of the most extensively stocked, reputable and service-oriented marketers on the Web.

At last count, we offered more than 800 fetish carvings by top carvers from Zuni, Cochiti, San Felipe and the Navajo nation. Our carvers include names such as Dee Edaakie, Jeffrey Tsalabutie, Gibbs Othole, Brian Hattie and Alonzo Esalio on the high end and ever-popular carvers such as Emery Eriacho, the Gaspers and Lena Boone, to name a few.

We go out of our way to treat our loyal customers in a way that keeps them loyal. As a matter of routine, we offer a seven-day return privilege on any item that is purchased based on Internet photos and text only.

We also are offering 10 days after Christmas Day to return any carving purchased as a Christmas gift.

We now offer 25% off the regular prices of almost every fetish carving on our ZuniLink site.

That's 25% off the already low Internet prices we offer every day.

Finally, and we will mention it again, we can ship for pre-holiday delivery if we receive your order by December 15.

But why wait for the last minute? With the response we are having to our sale, the carving you want may be gone by the time you get around to ordering it.

You can order from ZuniLink by visiting our Web site. Orders may be placed securely through our secure, encrypted order form or by calling our toll-free line at 800-305-0185.

Let the Post office buy the gas.

Whoosh! There goes the price of gas. It's now northwards of $3.15 a gallon around here. We hear folks in California are paying $4 to $5 a gallon.

Why would anyone do that to go "shopping"?

Buying online is like getting a huge discount on the gas you didn't have to use to get to the mall.

For instance, if you shop at an online gallery such as Native-JewelryLink, you can save the gas you would use to go from store to store. You can choose from more than a thousand items of Native American Indian jewelry, all authentic, guaranteed and returnable. If you buy from out of state, you can save the local tax on your purchase (although your state may expect you to file a return on your own.) If you (or your gift recipient) is unhappy with the item after it is received, you can return it to Native-JewelryLink within 10 days for a full refund.

What a deal! And we have added a sweetener. If your Native-JewelryLink order totals $100 or more, Susanne and William Waites will pay for domestic USPS Priority shipping to you.

What are you waiting for? Let the Postal Service use their gas to deliver your purchases.

ZuniLink offering Zuni fetish carvings at 25% off for Holiday shoppers.

That's right. We are now offering all of our Zuni, Navajo, Cochiti and San Felipe fetish carvings with a 25% discount. The special sale will last for a limited time, may be withdrawn at any time, and may not be combined with any other discounts.

Nevertheless, if you have had your eye on a fetish carving at ZuniLink, now is the time to order it, and save 25%.

Start with a visit to ZuniLink.

We invite and welcome your visit.

Dee Edaakie Zuni carvings have been added to Zuni LInk

As we catch up with posting of new carvings acquired during our last trip, we have added an entire page for Dee Edaakie's carvings. You'll find them on this page.


Dee is one of the group of what we consider to be young "master carvers" at Zuni. And they all are friends. The group includes Dee Edaakie, Jeff Tsalabutie, Gibbs Othole and Brian Hattie.

It is a highlight of our visits to Zuni Pueblo when we can see them all.

We think you will enjoy looking at Dee's work all on one page.

Nativities and Native American culture in Native Peoples

The November/December issue of Native Peoples magazine has a special editorial feature concerning Nativities (or as they are sometimes known, "Nascimientos"). It starts on page 36 and covers not only a number of examples by Native American Indian carvers and potters but also an historic discussion of the culture that spawned them.

We at Aboriginals have maintained a vibrant collection of Native American nativity sets. For the most part they are pottery. But some are carved works. For example, Wilson Romero of Cochiti carves sets from sandstone and natural stones found around the Cochiti Pueblo. One of his sets is pictured on page 38. Another carver who is doing nativity sets is Troy Sice of Zuni. Troy works in antler with inlaid turquoise and shell, plus sterling silver crowns adorning the three kings. An example of his technique is portrayed on page 37 of the article.

If you can't find a copy to buy, you can see an abstract of the publication online here. The November/December issue has not been posted to the web site yet but should be shortly.

If you are interested in seeing other examples of nativity sets, ones that actually can be purchased and added to your collection, visit the nativities page at Native-PotteryLink.com

You will find examples of works by
Wilson Romero and
Troy Sice

also by clicking on the appropriate preceding link.

While we are on the subject of Native Peoples magazine, one of our favorites, you will find a link to them on our web sites and you will also find an advertisement from Aboriginals on page 50. With so many beautiful Calvin Begay bracelets to show, we couldn't choose one. So we showed a lot of them. You can see each up close at this web address.

There's also an ad for Aboriginals in Smithsonian Magazine, featuring the Troy Sice Nativity Set, if you happen ot pick up a copy of that fine magazine.

108-year-old blogger

We just learned about a 108-year-old woman - one of the oldest people still alive - who has a blog.

So if you think blogging is only for youngsters, ask Olive Riley. Perhaps she stays young by staying on line.

What does she blog about?

Well, she's looking for lost relatives.

We'll bet she has a lot of them.

You go, Olive!

Now, what is keeping you from blogging and from subscribing to this blog?