Tribal Art - Investing in beauty and life enrichment

According to an arts and antiques newsletter, the economy is having a peculiar effect on art and collectible purchases.

To quote, "The Finer Things", a fine art gallery in New York and Cincinnati, "has seen requests for quality antiques, fine art and jewelry increase ten-fold in the past few months."

It seems that when 401Ks and retirement/investment funds based in securities go south, investors look for items of solid, three-dimensional value.

I am not very surprised. At the very least, a treasured object is something you can look at, enjoy and have enrich life even if the value doesn't go up.

(Incidentally, we always encourage buyers not to buy for investment. Art and collectibles are highly undependable as potential investments. They can just as easily go down in monetary value as appreciate. Buy out of love and a desire to have an object in you life. Those are experiences you can't discount. They will last forever.)

For previews of how objects of tribal art can make you smile and feel good, check out our web sites at ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and TribalWorks.com

Tribal Art - Whitehawk announces 2009 shows

Whitehawk has announced the dates and venues for its 2009 Ethnographic Art Show and 2009 Antique Indian Art Show.

The Ethnographic Art Show, the 26th annual staging, will run Saturday and Sunday, August 15 and 16, 2009 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with a preview opening on Friday, August 14, 2009 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

The 31st annual Antique Indian Art Show will have a preview opening on Monday, August 17, 2009 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, followed by shows on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 18 and 19, 2009 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Both shows are to be held at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center.

The shows are harbingers of the world-famous Santa Fe Indian Market, which will take place throughout downtown Santa Fe on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24, 2009.

The Whitehawk shows always are well-attended and include outstanding dealers and other exhibitors. For more information about the Whitehawk Shows, visit Whitehawkshows.com. For more information about Indian Market, go to SWAIA.com, the web site for the South West Association for Indian Arts.Street scene at Indian Market 2008. Artists' Booths line San Francisco Street,
with St. Francis Cathedral in the background.

This particular week in Santa Fe is a time of incessant activity. Accommodations book up early. If you don't have your place to stay already, its important to line it up now. When doing so, consider that Santa Fe Trails, the local bus company, runs shuttles from certain parking areas so it is not necessary to stay right on top of the action.

If you can't find vacancies in Santa Fe, an alternative is to stay in Albuquerque and ride the new Railrunner train service from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. There's also a Days Inn in Bernalillo that is just two blocks from the local stop of the Railrunner. Actually, we will probably ride the Railrunner at least one day while there, even though we have a local Santa Fe room booked, simply because I am kind of nutty about trains.

Yes, this is rather early notice. But, with Indian Market week, if you don't act fast, you lose out.

As indicated, Susanne and William Waites plan to be in New Mexico for Indian Market and associated events. As collectors and dealers in tribal art, we enjoy seeing all of our old friend artists and their latest work, and all of our fellow dealers.

Items acquired at the time eventually appear on our Web sites: ZuniLink.com featuring top quality fetish carvings by Zunis, Cochitis and residents of San Felipe Pueblo; Native-JewelryLink.com for outstanding and unique items of handmade Indian jewelry; Native-PotteryLink.com for creations of historic and contemporary Pueblo and Native American pottery. We also offer African tribal art, Australian Aboriginal art, Arctic-Inuit art and Navajo Folk Art at our fourth Web site, TribalWorks.com

Thanks for reading. If you plan to be in Santa Fe when we are, give us a shout now and we will look for opportunities to meet up there.

Tribal Art - Look for us on AboutUsWiki

Our Native Pottery Link site has now been listed on AboutUsWiki.

Check it out at http://www.AboutUs.org/Native-PotteryLink.com

This is a wiki, an interactive reference guide for all sorts of internet subjects.

Enjoy.

Church Street Cafe, Old Town, Albuquerque, NM

As we anticipate our next journey to New Mexico, we reminisce about one of our favorite palces to eat while there. The Church Street Cafe in Old Town behind San Felipe Church.

The rear garden is a sensual treat that adds to the delightful menu of Southwestern dishes.

We enjoy watching this and hope you will too.

Tribal Art - Molly Murphy, Oglala artist wins Best of Heard Show

"Absolutely magnificent", was the rave given by Barbara Korn, Heard Museum Show official, to the Best of Show winning work of Oglala Sioux bead work artist, Molly Murphy.

Murphy's entry, titled "Past is Prologue", was a Salish-style cradle board, beaded in light blue turquoise.

Lovers of Native American tribal art recognize the Heard Museum Fair and Market as one of the pre-eminent competitions in the world of Native art. Murphy's work was in competition with seven other first place winners in other categories, representing an even more significant win.

The show attracted entries from more than 700 Indian artists. Crowds visiting the weekend festival were estimated at 20,000, a 14% increase over last year's attendance. This speaks well for the vitality and popularity of Native American Indian art

Murphy also won a Second Place award in the beading category with a sewing box covered in red wool and ornate beading.

Murphy reported that the cradle board was purchased by collectors from New Jersey, who have several grandchildren, including a very recent one.

More information about Murphy's win is available at the Missoulian, a Missoula, MT newspaper.

As fans of beautiful Native American bead work and all Native Tribal Art, Susanne & William Ernest Waites, providers of tribal art at TribalWorks.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and ZuniLink.com, salute Molly Murphy for her extraordinary work and her impressive win.

Tribal Art - by Talia Quandelacy, Zuni carver

Last summer we visited with Talia Quandelacy and acquired some of her very nicely done work.

Here's a brief video of that pleasant encounter.



Brought to you by two of Talia's greatest fans, Susanne and William Waites of ZuniLink.com

A Tour of the Sheik Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi

It may be a stretch to consider Abu Dhabi among tribal art resources. At, least in the manner we normally define it.

But we visited it in February and had fabulous exposure to the local culture, including the Sheik Zayed Mosque - the third largest mosque in the world.

We were very impressed with our tour of the mosque, a video of which is embedded here.

Tribal Art - Saving the Planet online

Whether or not you believe in man-made global warming – personally, I am an agnostic - it turns out that you may be reducing your impact on the planet by purchasing items online instead of in-person.

The Carnegie Mellon Green Design Institute put together a study that purports to prove that e-commerce not only uses less energy but also reduces the carbon footprint of retailing by one-third vs. bricks-and-mortar retailing.

The team, led by H. Scott Matthews, compared energy consumption and CO2 emissions required to deliver a small thumb drive to a customer via a shopping trip to a store vs. buying and shipping from an online site.

According to the study, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, the highest environmental cost of traditional shopping is the drive by car to the store. (This was based on an estimate of an average shopping round-trip being 14 miles, with three different items purchased on a trip.)

But what about the environmental cost of delivery to you home? The researchers determined that the “last-mile” cost of delivering a package as part of a UPS delivery truck’s trip - in which numerous packages are delivered to different addresses – requires significantly less energy per package.

Okay, what about the cost of data centers and computers? Well, it turns out that, on average the incremental costs of running data centers and computers, beyond the energy costs that are incurred by businesses tracking inventory and consumers using computers for other tasks, is insignificant.

To be fair, the extra packaging to ship safely adds mare cost than carrying an item home in shopping bag. In addition, using air mail or personalized express shipping options can increase the impact on the environment. On the other hand, using the postal service3 to ship has almost no incremental cost since the time and resources are already being used for normal mail delivery.

There is one way the traditional retailing has less impact on the environment than e-commerce; if you walk to the store. Of course, that seldom applies to shopping for tribal art since so few of us live down he stet from a tribal art gallery.

While we are on the subject of tribal art, let’s reflect on its benign environmental impact.

Very little if any non-renewable energy is used in the making of tribal art. True, some Native American carvers use electrically-driven carving tools. But then they start with natural materials, stone, wood, semi-precious gems, silver, gold and clay with very little energy expended in manufacturing and very little wasted material.

For example, Native American potters create their works the traditional way. They mine the clay by hand. They form it by hand. They fire in pits using wood. They polish by hand with smoothing stones.

Finally, buying tribal art supports a process and practice that has been place for generations, and the artists who were among the first to recognize the importance of honoring Mother Earth.

This report is brought to you by Susanne and William Waites, proprietors of Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, with Web sites at ZuniLink.com, featuring Zuni and other Native American carvings; Native-JewelryLink.com, featuring the finest in Native American Indian jewelry; Native-PotteryLink, featuring handmade Indian pottery from Native Pueblos; and TribalWorks.com, combining triabl art from African, Australian Aboriginal art, Arctic art and Navajo folk art.

We are gratified to be able to bring this outstanding tribal work to your attention, on behalf of the artists (and the planet).

Tribal Art - More on the question of authenticity

The Tribal Beat reports on the San Francisco Tribal & Textile Show recently held at Fort Mason.

His take on the state of the market is interesting. Realistic, if a little depressing. But I am convinced that the market for tribal art will come blazing back.

He also writes about the motives of "experts" called in to vet objects proposed for inclusion in the show. It partially agrees with my feelings about asking other dealers for opinions. I continue to feel it is a good precaution. Yet, as the Tribal Beat suggests. Everything is not fair and always in the buyer's (or the business's) best interest.

Brought to you courtesy of William and Susanne Waites, proprietors of TribalWorks.com, ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com

Tribal Art - Where was it made?

I find myself lately checking everything I buy for the “Made in” label.

From shoes to shirts to shorts, I want to know if they were made in America and, if not, where they were made.

I have my own standards about what countries of origin I choose to support with my purchases. I would not ask anyone to make the same decisions. But, I do encourage everyone to be aware of where an item they are buying was made. Then do as you choose.

As far as tribal art is concerned, the same procedure should be followed. It will not be quite as easy because labeling is not as consistent among tribal art objects.

It is, nevertheless, important to try to learn where that object of your artistic affection was created.

Despite laws to the contrary, “Indian-like” items continue to find their way into the United States. Some times they are identified with slightly misleading terms such as “Native-American-style” or “Native-made” (native of what country?).

Mind you, this is not to denigrate the artistry of creators in other countries. Just as faux Rolex watches may be fine pieces of work, they are not true Rolexes. Promoting them as such is selling something to buyers that is not what they think it is.

When it comes to tribal art, there is a premium price willingly paid for the pedigree of an item actually made by a tribal member, in a tribal tradition. Whether it’s Native American, African tribal, Inuit or Australian Aboriginal, a copy made to look like a genuine item and represented as such, is a form of theft.

Unfortunately, when a buyer is misled, they may never realize that what they have is a replica, not the real thing. They may even, innocently or knowingly, resell the item with the same erroneous provenance. In the world of fine arts, periodically a Masters painting emerges as having been a copy. Tracking down the original source of the fake can result in some recompense for buyers down the line. It is, however, more difficult to do this in a field where thousands of items come out of the shadows on a regular basis.

So, how can you protect yourself?

First and second, only do business with someone you know, trust and who has a reputation for standing behind what they sell.

Third, ask. Don’t be reluctant to ask the seller up front and forcefully whether or not the item is authentic, where the seller acquired it and if he or she knows its history. If you don’t get a straight answer, be warned.

Fourth, be suspicious of a price that seems too low. Few words are more proven than the old axioms, “you get what you pay for” and “if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.”

Fifth, if you think you are about to be taken, turn to experts. Ask if you can show the item to another authority. And don’t settle for one opinion. Tribal art dealers are notoriously competitive. They are not beyond “trashing” a potential purchase so that they can sell you something instead. Corroborate any opinion.

Sixth, if you do get taken, try to return the item for a refund. If you get a hard time, threaten to go to the BBB or the Indian Arts and Crafts Association or your State’s Attorney General. As a last resort, actually complain to those authorities.

Finally, use the internet to spread the word about fraudulent practitioners. There are a number of Web sites that encourage reviews of quality and service. Just be sure to speak only facts and avoid slams and insults that could lead to a defamation suit.

A few words about signatures.

Signatures are an important way to determine the authenticity of a work of art. Yet, not all artists sign their work. Some do. Some don’t. Antiques often were not signed. Occasionally, a signature is added to look-alike to try to pass it off as the real work of an artist.

Anyone who has watched Antiques Roadshow on Public Television knows how often a Tiffany signed item turns not to be a Tiffany product.

With or without a signature, get a written assurance of the seller as to the origin of the item. Ask for a Certificate of Authenticity. You are entitled to it as part of your purchase.

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A crass commercial notation: At all of our Web sites - ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and TribalWorks.com - we guarantee the authenticity of everything we sell. Our motto is, "It is what we tell you it is or you get your purchase price back when you return it."

Tribal Art - Who's writing this stuff?

As some of you may know, I also am a writer in addition to being a collector/dealer in tribal art. So I am surfing around looking for the opportunity for some freelance writing assignments.

(Hey, as wonderful as our clients are, and they are, and as resilient as our market is, and it is, I'm always looking for new writing gigs.)

It's more a matter of passion than income. It's a good thing. I am checking out some freelance writing leads and finding offers for 10 articles in a day at $1 per article.

You read it correctly. $10 for 3,000 to 5,000 words, with required appropriate research. Since this would take most writers a full day, that's the equivalent of working for $1 an hour.

What kind of a writer will work for that?

I think the work product those buyers are getting has to be pretty feeble.

I have worked for nothing. But I have done that on my own choice and on a one-time basis.

I would never write 10 articles in a day for $1 each. Never. (I would spend more than that on energy boosters during the process.)

So if you are reading a lot blather on other blogs or web sites, you know why.

As for this blog, I write every word - correction: I had one guest blogger, but I thoroughly edited the submission.

So when you read what's here, whether you find it interesting or not, it is not drivel written by a disinterested hireling who is willing to work for $1 an article.

It also is written by someone who knows and loves the subject. Heck, I would write this blog for no pay. Wait... heck, I do write it for nothing.

Okay. End of rant. Feel free to comment. Please comment.

If you want to read some additional writing about tribal art, visit our web sites at ZuniLink.com, TribalWorks.com, Native-PotteryLink.com and Native-JewelryLink.com

Thank you.

Selling Tribal Art has its emotional rewards.

We just received an email from a customer who ordered a pottery buffalo by Mary Small of Jemez Pueblo.

May we share his comment with you?

"I just wanted to tell you that the Mary Small buffalo arrived and it is absolutely fantastic, unusual, and an incredible addition to our Mary Small collection. Both of you are stupendous buyers with an eye for excellence, creativity, and uniqueness. So thrilled that I found your website. "

Here's a photo of the buffalo object of his affections.


We love it when this happens. It completes the circle of our satisfaction and rewards from involvement with Tribal Art.

You can read this and other testimonials on our web sites at ZuniLink. Com, Native-PotteryLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com and TribalWorks.com. Thank you.

Tribal Art - Is it growing in awareness and favor?

KIM PALMER has written in the Minneapolis Star Tribune (2/12/2009) about the growing popularity of African tribal art, which she attributes in part to the election of Barack Obama as President. Here are some excerpts:

"At first, it was kind of a fad," said Angie Scott, a St. Paul interior designer and owner of Access:Dezign. But globalization is fueling broader awareness and appreciation of other cultures and their aesthetic traditions.

For many black Americans, African-inspired design remains a celebration of cultural pride. "We're just drawn to those pieces and being in touch with our ancestry," said Scott.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Among collectors of global antiques and artifacts, African pieces "faded to the background for 10 or 15 years, as Asian antiques came in," said Ian Grant, owner of Bjorling & Grant, an imported furniture and accessories showroom in St. Louis Park, Minn. "Now, slowly, at the upper end of the market, African pieces are coming back in."

And there's much to appreciate, Ta-coumba Aiken said. "Some of the finest crafts in the world come from all parts of Africa. It's an area of beautiful age-old design. People will start looking at Africa and will be amazed."

There's more to the story and you can read it here , as reported by the Sacramento (CA) Bee.

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Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its web site at TribalWorks.com is excited to see a resurgence of interest in this beautiful ethnographic art. We have many pieces for sale that fall on the low end of high-end, traditional, authentic African tribal art. Check out the masks and sculptures in our African Room.
You can do more than add an African touch to your decor. You can add a art object with a rich, African tribal heritage to your experience.

A thank you tip to to Kim Palmer, The Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Sacramento Bee, who brought this story to our attention.

Tribal Art - Sotheby's auction - The Sculptor's Eye

Courtesy of Antique News, we learn that Sotheby's New York has scheduled a major auction of tribal art from the Gross collection of African and Oceanic Art.

May 15, 2009 is the date.

The collection was amassed by Chaim and Renee Gross during the 1940s and 1950s.

For more information, visit www.sothebys.com.

Tribal Art News about San Ildefonso

New Mexico Tourism has issued the following news release.

San Ildefonso Pueblo Re-establishes Historic Cottonwood Trading Post

The San Ildefonso Pueblo Enterprise Corporation has announced the re-establishment of the historic Trading Post at San Ildefonso Pueblo, naming it the Cottonwood Trading Post.

The Cottonwood Trading Post features the work of nearly 60 New Mexico pueblo artists, including 33 from San Ildefonso, who continue to follow the traditional art of pottery making for which San Ildefonso has a well-deserved international reputation.

San Ildefonso is one of the best known New Mexico Pueblos because of the famous black-on-black pottery which originated there and which was revived in the 1920s. At that time San Ildefonso, like many other Pueblos, was suffering a severe economic depression. Long standing internal conflicts, encroachment upon tribal lands by squatters and illegal cutting of timber all contributed to the low-subsistence level to which the Pueblo had fallen. When American Indian crafts began to be popular with collectors, it was fortunate for the San Ildefonso people, because although the Pueblo population was small, there were a number of skilled artisans, makers of pottery and painters, who set to work to improve the economic condition of the Pueblo. Before long, the outstanding quality of San Ildefonso pottery became known. It was then that the famous black pots were revived, primarily because of Maria Martinez, who is credited for creating the pottery style for which San Ildefonso Pueblo is most known..

Today, they command the respect of world-wide collectors of fine art. Other artists, potters and watercolor painters came to the attention of the public and although the Pueblo is one of the smallest in population, it is among the best known, averaging more than 20,000 visitors each year.

Cottonwood Trading Post has long been a part of San Ildefonso Pueblo's history throughout the years. Although ownership has changed over the years – now owned by the San Ildefonso Pueblo Enterprise Corporation - the past is ever-present in the memories of its artists and visitors. The trading post has been remodeled and updated with the times, but original beams of the grocery store and trading post are still in place.

The Cottonwood Trading Post buys, sells, and trades authentic Native American pottery, paintings, jewelry, dance goods and more.

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Tribal Artery and Native-PotteryLink.com tips its "thank you hat" to New Mexico Tourism for this good news. We remember the Cottonwood Trading Post from the old days. We always enjoyed our visits there. It's good to have it re-opened.

New fellowships for Native American (tribal) artists

Carol Guzman at NMCulture sends this alert. Thanks. Carol.

February 18, 2009 The following requests for proposals have been posted to Philanthropy News Digest: First Peoples Fund Seeks Nominations of American Indian Artists for Community Spirit Awards Four fellowships of $5,000 each will be awarded to American Indian visual, performing, and literary artists who have made substantial contributions to their communities.... Deadline: June 15, 2009 Posted: February 18, 2009

The Human Drive to Make Art - Tribal and otherwise

WHY do humans make art? It can be lovely. It can be stimulating. It absorbs some of the finest minds in any society. It can change hands for ridiculous sums of money. And dizzying edifices of commentary have been built around it since the time of the Greeks. But all those aspects of art beg a fundamental question: why do we do it?

An article in The Australian, Australia's national newspaper, reviews a new book by Dennis Dutton, The Art Instinct, that discusses the subject.

Dutton suggests that because all humans make art, and people from many different cultures appreciate similar subjects in art, art is an evolutionary adaptation, helping humans survive as individuals and as a species. Eventually, over the millennia, art-making traits have been absorbed into the repertoire of human instinct.

To read more of this article, click on this link -http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25035538-16947,00.html

At Aboriginals: Art of the First Person we revel in the spirit of art executed by tribal peoples, and present examples at TribalWorks.com, Native-PotteryLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.comZuniLink.com and

Tribal artistry: UMFA exhibit shows how Indians blended culture, art (Deseret Morning News)

When does art become culture? When does culture become art? When are the two so inextricably intertwined that it’s hard to separate one from the other?

Continue here:
Tribal artistry: UMFA exhibit shows how Indians blended culture, art (Deseret Morning News)

Brought to you in the interest of public awareness of the magic of Tribal Art by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, with web sites at ZuniLink.com, Native-PotteryLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com and TribalWorks.com

In Tribal art, what is antique-what is vintage?

What is antique? What is vintage?

An article discussing this subject recently appeared at http://avcosa.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2697035%3ABlogPost%3A1623

We recommend you visit the link for the full story.

Here is sample to get you started:

"Too often, people will mislabel items as "antique" or "vintage" - sometimes because they believe it will be profitable to do so but, more often than not, it's because they just don't know the accepted definitions. If you are one of those individuals, you'll be relieved to know that there are NO "hard and fast" definitions for these terms and my intent is to simply provide you with a rule of thumb.

Although there are no accepted "rules" defining vintage, let's start developing our definition by putting it in the appropriate context. Most collectors agree that there is a clear distinction between what is considered "antique" and what is not. Antiques are usually associated with characteristics of a certain period of time or style of manufacture."

Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, purveyors of Tribal Art at TribalWorks.com, ZuniLink.com, Native-JewelryLink.com and Native-PotteryLink.com brings you this link with a tip of the hat to Antiques, Vintage and Collectibles online sellers association

We speak Tribal Art in many languages

If you are reading this blog as is, you may find the following news unimportant.

On the other hand, if you know people who speak languages other than English, and who are interested in tribal art, you can tell them that Aboriginals' websites now have Google translation capability.

Our Zuni fetish carving site at ZuniLink.com , our Native-JewelryLink.com site featuring Native American jewelry, our website featuring Native American pottery, Native-PotteryLink.com, and our TribalWorks.com site, with African, Australian, Arctic and Navajo folk art items, no all have a Google gadget that allows the text of the entire site to be translated to several non-English languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Russian and more, even Arabic.

Simply go to the home page, find the Google translation box and enter the language you would like to translate to. The page you are on will be translated to that language as will every other page on the site.

A warning, however - This is machine translation so that it doesn't deal with colloquial expression well. When your cursor passes over a translated phrase, a window will open offering the original English wording and will ask if there is a more accurate translation possible. Your response will go to Google, where it will add to their knowledge of languages.

Please give us a comment to let us know if you like this capability. Thank you.

Tribal Artery has joined AVCOSA

We have joined the Antique Vintage Collectibles Online Sellers Association. We believe in supporting others in our field.

Do we need a Culture Czar?

Posted by William and Susanne Waites of Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink, TribalWorks and ZuniLink, under Tribal Art

Culture Grrl Lee Rosenbaum, who blogs as the Culture Grrl and comments on the culture and arts scene, has posted a message expressing disfavor with the concept of a Federal Government culture czar. Frankly, we agree with her.

The government has no business "czar-ing" art and culture. If they can tell us what good art is, they can tell us what bad art is. We fervently believe that judgement is best made by the audience as individuals. Keep the politics out of it.

We've captured an opening paragraph Lee's blog. There is a link to continue at the end.

I've got nothing against better coordination among government programs involving the arts and humanities. Regular meetings of representatives from the relevant offices and agencies could foment creative synergies. Perhaps a White House official with advisory, not managerial, responsibilities could help facilitate this without inserting what we emphatically DON'T need---an extra layer of bureaucratic control over our nation's cultural activity.

Read more

Indian Arts & Crafts Association protects you and the artist

Posted under Tribal Art by William Ernest Waites, Aboriginals Gallery, Zunilink, Tribalworks, Native-JewelryLink and Native-PotteryLink

We have been members of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association for 19 years. We have proudly displayed the IACA logo proclaiming our membership, which requires us to sell only authentic Native American made art when we have identified it as such.

For those, who are not familiar with IACA, here is brief history, courtesy of the association itself.

HISTORY OF IACA

The Indian Arts and Crafts Association was established in 1974 in response to the growing problem of misrepresentation of American Indian arts and crafts in the marketplace. The original founders were American Indian artists and reputable businesses located primarily in the Southwest. Today, IACA is an international organization representing every link in American Indian arts - Native artists from the U.S. and Canada, along with consumers, retailers, wholesalers, museums, government agencies, suppliers and supporting members.

In the early 1970s, the American Indian arts and crafts industry was booming. And, as so often happens with successful businesses, unscrupulous dealers, knockoffs and imported goods appeared in the market to the detriment of the unsuspecting consumer and respectable artists, wholesalers and retailers. Legislation governing the industry and the labeling of authentic arts and crafts produced by Native Americans was weak or non-existent. Where it did exist within several of the States, it was rarely enforced.

Realizing that if these conditions were to continue, the buying public would soon lose confidence in the intrinsic value of American Indian products, these individuals did what people in similar circumstances have done since ancient times. Rather than face the issue privately, they banded together and founded the "Indian Arts and Crafts Association" and incorporated it under the laws of the State of New Mexico.

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When you are considering Native American art, please look for identification of your vendor as a member of the IACA. It is your best assurance that, if it says Native American Indian made, it is Native American Indian made.

Update: A tip of the Tribal Artery thank you hat to Native Art and BingoRage for link to this blog. Welcome Native Art and BingoRage readers.

African Tribal Art - The Story of Shango

Posted by William Waites, Aboriginals Gallery/TribalWorks under Tribal Art

A small boy hunches down on the earthen floor, his back against the wall of his family’s hut. His knees are tucked up under his chin. His arms hold them tight.

Each boom of thunder and each lightning crack sends a shudder through his body.

The rain comes down in waves, pounding on the thatch of the roof and rolling off to the ground. As water saturates the ground, it washes away layers of surface dirt, exposing stones previously hidden.

The rain stops. The boy comes out from the safety of his hut and starts to gather up stones, many of which look like axe-heads.

“Look, Papa,” he cries in his native tongue, “Shango!”

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The reference is to Shango, the orisha (or god) of lightning and thunder. The axe-head stones, also known as celts, are symbolic of this important personage in Yoruba mythology.

According to legend, Shango was the fourth king of the Yoruba nation, Oyo. He had a whimsical and capricious nature. He was captivated by magic and careless in his use of his powers. He inadvertently cast down lightning strikes on his village, killing his wives, family and villagers. Overwhelmed with grief, he left the kingdom (some say he was banished) and killed himself.

When others in Oyo began to mock him after death, the kingdom encounterd a spate of severe and violent weather. This made his supporters angry. They elevated Shango to the status of god or orisha. In that capacity, as the god of thunder, lightning and fire, he continues to throw down axe-shaped stones symbolic of the way lightning chops through the sky.

When torrential rains reveal the stones that laid buried beneath the topsoil, the legend of Shango is reinforced.

Today, Yoruba is the most populous tribe in Africa, located primarily in Nigeria, where thousands of tribe members worship Shango. While the story that started this tale may never have happened, it is easy to imagine that, at some time in ancient Yoruba history, it did.

Shango devotees dance at annual ceremonies and other events with carved wood wands. Variants on the double-celt are apparent, often supported by a carved human figure, in an arrangement that suggests dominance over the figure. The most common figures are female, usually kneeling and offering one or both breasts as an act of supplication. These wands are called, “oshe shango”.

As Yoruba people migrated to the Western Hemisphere, mostly involuntarily on slave ships, they brought their religion of Shango with them. It is practiced in many variables today in South America and the Caribbean.

Similarly, there are variants among oshe Shango that are too numerous to mention. Some omit the celt. Some integrate the celt with the head of the figure.

This presentation of oshe Shango dance wands from my personal collection will include many of these variations. Click the Link below please

View more presentations or upload your own. (tags: african carving)

New African Art Site

Early on in our excursion in to African Tribal Art, we were encouraged by David Norden, a collector of unusual knowledge and experience.

In fact, we still post suggestions for collecting African Tribal Art at TribalWorks.com that were based largely on original thoughts by David.


He was the moderator of the African_Antiques group at Yahoo Groups, and now has a new blog and web site at African Art Club.

Some of the articles are in German. Even those are understandable. And the photos are in the universal language of photography.

We recommend a visit to the African Art Club to stay current about news in the field.

Not quite Tribal Art - but close enough for many.

Stepping a little outside the subject arena but still within the geography of Australia, we thought this little item might be of interest.

After all, some of the Aboriginal art we offer at TribalWorks.com, comes from the land down under.


It's being billed as "the best job in the world" - six months working as a "caretaker" on Hamilton Island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The job comes with a pay packet of nearly £70,000 (US$100,000) and a rent-free three-bedroom villa, complete with pool.

In return, the successful applicant will be expected to spend the six-month contract exploring the idyllic surroundings, filing weekly blog, photo diary and video updates and conducting "ongoing media interviews".

Interested?

The first step in securing this role is to send a 60-second video application explaining why you are the ideal person for it.

For the full story, click this link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7824386.stm

A tip of the hat to dades-life.blogspot.com for this lead.

Skinner to hold Ethnographic Art Auction -1/24/09

(From William and Susanne Waites at Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, proprietors of web sites at TribalWorks, Native-PotteryLink, Native-JewelryLink and ZuniLink)

Skinner, Inc., A Boston auction gallery has scheduled an auction of American Indian and Ethnographic Art on Saturday Jan 24th at 10AM

Lots will include Pre-Columbian and African material, Native American items - including several lots of moccasins, items from the Northwest Coast, Katsina dolls, Navajo silver and several ollas.

In January, Skinner will be launching a new live bidding applet on skinnerinc.com. This applet will provide Skinner’s clients with a whole new bidding experience: the ability to bid live in real-time on the Skinner website from the convenience of home or work. For more information on all the ways to bid in a Skinner auction, or to register to be one of the first live bidders, log onto How to Buy & Sell at http://www.skinnerinc.com/buy-sell/skinner-live.php

The Santa Fe Indian Market is celebrating its 88th year in 2009

Who: The Southwest Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) What: Annual Membership Meeting Where: Vanessie's Restaurant, 434 W. San Francisco St., Santa Fe, NM When: Tuesday, January 27, 6pm to 7:30 pm How Much: Free SANTA FE, NM)-Santa Fe is a town that embraces its traditions firmly, but isn't afraid to lead the tides of change, especially in the visual arts. The Southwest Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA) produces the Santa Fe Indian Market, which is Santa Fe's largest annual public event and the most prestigious Indian art market in the world. It attracts over 100,000 visitors each year, while showcasing established and emerging Native American artists. What may not be clear to the general public is the depth of involvement and unconditional support that SWAIA has for the Native arts and Santa Fe communities. Throughout its 88 year history, the Santa Fe Indian Market has been the central event in establishing the relevance of Native arts in the United States and the primary architect in shaping the cultural identity of Santa Fe. The Market is the voice and platform for Native artists to promote their art practice and the singularly most important cultural event in the United States that has provided autonomy and stability to the Native arts community. And although the Santa Fe Indian Market is rooted deeply in tradition, it is making bold leaps of reinvention to support native artists in all stages of their career. SWAIA is excited to begin another year of programs and events and invites the public to attend its Annual Membership Meeting. SWAIA's Executive Director Bruce Bernstein and Board Director Fran Mullin will outline this year's programs and initiatives including details about the Santa Fe Indian Market scheduled for August 22-23, 2009. A complete 2009 SWAIA schedule of events is available on our updated website www. swaia.org. The website features a new online application for prospective artist applicants. For more information on this and other SWAIA events please contact Marketing and Public Relations Associate Gabe Gomez at ggomez@swaia.org or (505) 983-5220 x 229 # # # The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, a non-profit organization, is an advocate for Native American arts and cultures (particularly those in the Southwest). SWAIA creates economic and cultural opportunities for Native American artists by: producing and promoting the Santa Fe Indian Market as the finest Indian art event in the world, cultivating excellence and innovation across traditional and non-traditional art forms, and developing programs and events that support, promote, and honor Native artists year-round. SWAIA is located at 141 East Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, N.M.; telephone number 505-983-5220; www.swaia.org.

Antiques Roadshow announces 2009 schedule

Lot's of tribal art collectors are big fans of the Antiques Roadshow, which appears on PBS. The show frequently includes tribal art collectibles presented by people who attend the shows.

So, the announcement of where and when Antiques Roadshow will show up in 2009 should be of special interest to our readers.

June 6, 2009 - Atlantic City, New Jersey
June 27, 2009 - Raleigh, North Carolina
July 11, 2009 - Madison, Wisconsin
July 25, 2009 - Denver, Colorado
August 1, 2009 - Phoenix, Arizona
August 15, 2009 - San Jose, California

If you have an object of tribal art, or any antique or collectible, that you think may have some special value, you may want to make note of these dates.

Admission to Antiques Roadshow is free but tickets are required and they must be obtained in advance. More information about Antiques Roadshow and how to get tickets can be obtained at PBS.org or by phone at 1-888-762-3749. Tickets are distributed at random from all entries.

Evaluation of items, up to two per ticket holder, are rendered verbally by representatives of leading auction houses and other independent appraisers and dealers. Shows videotaped on the above dates will be aired on PBS in 2010.

This news is brought to you by Aboriginals: Art of the First Person with a hat tip to Antiques News. Aboriginals has web sites at TribalWorks, Native-PotteryLink, Native-JewelryLink and ZuniLink.

10 suggestions to protect your valuable tribal art collection

Unlike some other New Year’s resolutions, this one is definitely worth the time you will spend on it.

If you are a collector of tribal art, or any art,
do something to protect your collection.

With economic conditions getting worse, your collection is more at risk than at any other time.


So, is your collection secure? Do you have a security alarm system on your premises?
Do you have photographs and records of all your precious items? Did you save your receipts? Are your records and photographs in a safe and secure place?


The answers to most of these questions will suggest themselves.


The last one, however, warrants some additional discussion.


1. Get a digital camera. It does not have to be a fancy one. It just needs to have resolution to capture a clean, in-focus picture.


2. Take a picture of every item in your collection. It’s best to shoot in light shade on an otherwise bright, sunny day. If you shoot with subject in bright sunlight, you may lose some of the detail that is important to identify an object.


3. Shoot multiple photos, from different angles, even flat art such as textiles and paintings. Digital images don’t cost anything. With many pictures of the same item from different angles, you have the best evidence of what is in your collection. Insurance companies are aware that adept computer users know how to fudge an image, or create one that wasn’t there. Multiple images can assure the insurance adjuster that you actually owned and photographed the item.


4. Take the chip from inside the camera to some place that can make photo images from it. Most pharmacies have a photo-processing desk and digital kiosk. Ask for a DVD or CD with your images on it. Even better, connect the camera chip to your computer and save .jpg images to put in a digital folder. There are several low cost or free photo management software programs that can convert and hold your images. Picasa is one of them.


5. Make sure that each picture is labeled with enough description. This will help you search for the picture later.


6. If you have access to a scanner, scan your receipts and transfer them as jpg images to your computer. Put those jpg images in a digital folder, identifying each for ease of searching and clear relationship to the item you purchased.


7. Buy an inexpensive thumb drive with 4 to 8 gigabytes of storage space (less than $30). Since computers are notoriously prone to crashes and file corruption, transfer the digital folders to the thumb drive. You also can “burn” the photo and document images to a CD or DVD. They are less convenient and more prone to damage than thumb drives, which capture files from your computer through a USB port.


8. Do this once every six months or every time you add or subtract from you collection. The beauty of thumb drives is that they are very easy to overwrite with updates. CDs and DVDs may require to burn a new disc each time you update.


9. Put the thumb drive or the CDs/DVDs in a place that is removed from your collection and your computer. A safe deposit box is a good choice.


You will now have back-up complete records of every item in your collection and the receipt for your purchase of it. If anything happens – a burglary or a fire – you will have proof of your loss and its value. If the items are stolen, you can post your photos to various stolen item directories. This can alert potential buyers, who might be approached by the thief, that the items are stolen.


10. Another word about insurance; buy it. Most homeowner policies do not cover
jewelry or high value collectibles and art objects adequately. There are companies, however, that specialize in that kind of coverage. Seek them out and get a quote to cover the value of your collection. One of them to check out is Collectibles Insurance Services, LLC. I am not recommending them because I have never had to file a claim with them. You will need to do your own research to determine if they are the right insurance company for you.


You have more than money invested in our collection. You have memories, expertise and hard work finding its contents.


Don’t leave your collection unprotected.


Happy New Year from William and Susanne Waites at ZuniLink, Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink and Tribalworks.

A Pilgrimage to Zuni

Natasha Shealy has a nicely written report in Sedona.biz about a trip she made to Zuni to see Santo Nino de Zuni.

We enjoyed reading it and thought you might also.

"Two hundred twenty miles northeast of Sedona along I-40 toward Albuquerque, on the western edge of New Mexico, lies the ancient and mystical town of Zuni."John, Olivia, and I set out in my diesel rig early one morning on our pilgrimage to Zuni from Cottonwood, Arizona. Our goal: to pay our respects to the statue of the patron saint, Santo Nino de Zuni."

Here's the link to the entire article.

http://www.sedona.biz/pilgrimage-to-zuni0109.htm

We are always happy to bring you stories and reports that we come across that may enrich your knowledge and understanding of tribal culture. For more information about Zuni, visit our web site at ZuniLink.