Paying deposits to Indian artists.

From time to time, we receive comments from readers referring to difficulties they have had in receiving goods they have prepaid for. Actually, it is not uncommon, although it usually is a matter of timely delivery rather than failure to deliver. 

There is an explanation. Native Americans for the most part live "in the now". (It is a condition many lifestyle coaches suggest for everyone). For American Indians, it is a cultural value. Very few of them have bank accounts. Their work product is their savings. When they are paid for something they have created, those funds go to pay for day to day expenses or to invest in more raw material. 

Similarly, when they are paid for something they are supposed to create, daily expenses have first call on those funds. Eventually, the item will be created. But if it is on display when someone visits them and if that person offers to buy it, it will be sold, with the artist's assumption that he or she will make something else to fulfill the order for which he or she has been prepaid.

There is no attempt at fraud in this arrangement. Ownership of the object does not pass until the item is delivered. Prior to that, it remains part of the artist's work in progress.

As a result, many newcomers to the Native American art trade get frustrated when they believe they have paid for something that has been delivered to someone else. In the mind of the artist, it is stil his or her property until it meets the artist's criteria for delivery. At that point, it will be delivered.

In thirty years of dealing with Native American artists, we have never failed to receive what we bargained for. We have, on more than one occasion, had to wait a spell for it.

Two Weeks To Save on Pacific Northwest Tribal Art

Special Sale Alert 

from TribalWorks/Aboriginals: Art of the First Person

Beautiful plaques and wall art for your collector's home decor. Click the link and check them out.

Now, save 20% off tribal art objects from Salish, Squamish and other tribes of the Pacific Northwest.  

Sale ends December 15, 2012

Last Day for Thanksgiving Half off sale

Our special "Half-Off" Sale on Native American jewelry ends tonight at midnight. Visit our Native American Jewelry website and find something you would like to save 50% on. Cut the listed price in half and that is your price.

We don't change the prices on the web site because we have hundreds of items to change.  And hundreds of items to change back when the sale ends.

And the sale will end. At midnight tonight. So, this is a serious sale, with serious endpoint. Take a look. Make an order filing out the secure order form or calling us a 800-305-0185.

You, or the person who receives your purchase as a gift, will have one more thing to be thankful for.

Beautiful jewelry vs. authentic beautiful jewelry

I was doing a little web browsing myself today and I came across something both interesting - and unsettling.

Let me start by saying that jewelry doesn't have to be authentic Native American jewelry to be beautiful.

But, if you admire Indian jewelry because of its roots in Native America Indian culture, you ought to be told specifically, that "Southwestern jewelry" that "looks" Indian isn't Native American jewelry unless it is specifically described as Native American. It often isn't even American.

Unscrupulous jewelry dealers, who often advertise as being part of a "tribe" promote for sale jewelry that is no more Native American than an assembly line somewhere in Asia. Sure they "look" Native American". They often are sold as being Native American-made. But they are not. They are ripped-off copies of authentic Native American Indian work and designs.

In at least one case, they are being priced well above what similar genuine pieces would be priced at. I guess it is so they can advertise 60% savings. But that is 60% off inflated prices that far exceed the value of the jewelry. So the buyers think they are getting a "great deal". In fact, they are overpaying for cheap imitations.

In addition, the makers and sellers of this phony art are cheating real Native American artists out of their birthright, their culture and their livelihood.

How can you tell when you are being deceived and being sold phony goods?

First, be suspicious of any jewelry sold on a Native American website that looks Native American but is described as "Southwestern". If it is the real thing, it will say so. The law requires it. A huge discount is also is a red flag. No one in the jewelry trade sells for less than the merchandise costs them. The only way they can give huge 60% discounts and stay in business is by buying cheap imitations and/or charging inflated original prices.

Second, if it is contemporary jewelry, the maker should be identified by name. It will either be signed or have a hallmark.(Yes, there are some simpler jewelry styles that are mass-produced by Native Americans and don't get signed by individual artists. But they are not high-end pieces.)

Third, if in doubt at all, ask the seller straight-on, "Is this jewelry made by an enrolled Native American tribe member? What's his/her name." Even sneaky-Petes won't outright lie about it. But if you don't ask, you don't get an answer.

Fourth, look for the Indian Arts & Crafts Association (IACA) logo on the website. Members vouch not to misrepresent non-American Indian art as what it is not.

In the end, no one can tell you what to buy or who to buy from. But you should know what you are buying and what its real value is, or you will be cheated.

November in Indian Art

Here's the schedule for Native American art events in November:

November 3-4 - Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ - A Gathering of Weavers

November 5 - 10th Annual Veterans Pow Wow, Fairfax, VA

November 5-6 - American Indian 2012 Marketplace at the Autry, Los Angeles

November 8 - Crown Point Rug Auction, AZ

November 10-11 - Allard's Big Fall Auction, Mesa AZ

November 10-11 - 13th Clearfield Veterans Day Pow Wow, Clearfield, PA

November 10-11 - Columbia Antique Market, Columbia, MO

November 12 - Feast of San Diego, Jemez and Tesuque Pueblos, NM

November 16-18 - Pahrump Pow Wow, Pahrump, NV

November 17-18 - St. Louis Western Art Show, St. Charles, MO

November 24-25 - SWAIA Winter Market, Santa Fe, NM

Harrison Begay RIP

Prolific and talented, Navajo artist Harrison Begay, left behind a wealth of beautiful paintings when he passed earlier this year. Friends and associates estimated between 2,000 and 3,000 paintings were completed in his unique style. But he never became a wealthy man; partly because some of the higher prices the public paid for his paintings included the costs of the dealers who marketed them. Yet he continued to paint because he loved to do it and he loved the animals that were subjects of his work. Pictured here is one of his works in our collection at TribalWorks.com.

He is said to have refused commissions because he painted from the heart and had to be inspired by his subject. As a result, anyone who wanted a certain subject painted would have to wait years, until the spirit moved him.

He had been married once but he and his divorced after he returned from service in World War II. He had no children but is survived by a sister and nieces and nephews.
His passing is a loss to all who love beautiful images sensitively rendered.

Recently, within the last two years, we have discovered the work of Peter Ray James, a Navajo artist specializing in fabric pieces.

Here are a few of his pieces we have acquired in recent days.

According to his bio, James graduated with honors from the Institute of American Indian Arts  in Santa Fe NM in 1984. He also attended Parsons School of Design in New York City. In 1988, his work was introduced to the competitive Indian Art market, which means our introduction to him was well into his career, In the meantime, collectors of his work have included Ahmad & Felicia Rashad, Ted Danson, Jon Bon Jovi and Wynonna Judd. His work is also offered at the New Mexico Museum and the Wheelwright Museum, both  in Santa Fe.

James's Navajo name is Nahat'a Yilth Yil Wood, which translates as "One who delivers the

message". His pieces include representation of spirit figures, yeis, horses, buffaloes - even fish. They are done in fabrics that  are dyed and painted with Navajo symbols. Twigs or feathers often are added in much same manner as prayer- or medicine-bundles on fetish carvings. 

"My Navajo tradition is a path abounding with power and energy. I am enriching my life with remembrance... a spiritual path and a powerful tradition in transition" 

- Peter Ray James

For more information, visit

http://www.TribalWorks.com/Navajo-Native-American-Folk-Art-Gallery.htm#DK05tag

Institute of American Indian Arts Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and our websites, Native-American-jewelry.org, ZuniLink.com and Native-PotteryLink.com, have watched the growth of IAIA for the 33 years we have been involved with Native American art and culture. We salute its contribution to Native American art. So we join the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the world's only four-year fine arts college dedicated to the study of contemporary Native arts this Saturday. The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) will celebrate its 50th anniversary on October 13 with panel sessions on IAIA's impact on creative writing, museum studies, Indigenous studies and studio arts with astute alumni and faculty. Creative Writing Chairman Jon Davis, who is also Santa Fe's poet laureate, and award-winning poet Joy Harjo(Muscogee (Creek) Nation) will be part of Saturday's discussion. Other panelists include award-winning artist Tony Abeyta (Navajo) and Pojoaque Pueblo Governor George Rivera. Other events include campus tours, garden and greenhouse tours, art demonstrations-- some using state-of-the-art equipment--and student films and art exhibitions.   To view a historic interactive timeline of IAIA's 50-year history, go to www.iaia.edu/50th.

New Carvings by Salvador Romero

We have just posted a number of new carvings by Cochiti carver, Salvador Romero. It is some of his best work ever. Several are combination carvings with adult animals and juveniles, which should appeal to buyers who have families of their own.

Here are some photos:

And there are more at ZuniLink.

Nativities for Christmas

We have acquired a number of new Pueblo Pottery Nativity sets that can be ordered and shipped with plenty of time to get to you for Christmas celebrations.

Here are three:

13 pcs by Paul & Dorothy Gutierrez, Santa Clara

7 pcs  by Aggie Henderson, Acoma 

6 pcs by Teri Cajera, Jemez

6 pcs by Maxine Toya, Jemez

13 pcs by Clifford Kim Fragua, Jemez

Check out these and the other Pueblo Pottery Nativities at Native-Potterylink.com. 

They represent reverent and expressive ways to celebrate the birth of the Christ child.

PS: Also check out our Lay Away plan. A down payment of 10% to 20%, 

followed by monthly payments. The amount of the monthly payment is less important 

than the consistency of a payment each month. 

Contact us at 1-800-305-0185 to work out the details.

Merry Christmas

Special offers from Indian Market week

Our trip to New Mexico for Indian Market has been quite productive.

We've acquired Cochiti fetish carvings by Salvador Romero,  new Zuni fetish carvings and stunning Navajo jewelry items. When we get them home, the real work begins to put the new items on our Zuni carvings website and our Native American Jewelry website. So, we are offering some discounts for preview purchasers.

Here's a Todd Westika's Shell Corn Maiden with six directional ears of corn. When it is added to the website the price will be $350. Buy it now for $330.

This pair of horses by Salvador Romero will be $150 on the eband $140 if you buy it now.

These two pendants by Navajo Calvin Begay will be $250 on line and $295 on line respectively with preview prices of $200 and $250 respectively if purchased now.

To purchase, email us at Sanibelart@gmail.com and mention this blog message or telephone us at 800-305-0185.

When the items are posted on the websites, the prices will be higher. Give us a call or send us an email message.

ATADA Theft Alert

Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association has posted an alert about the theft of the Sioux ceremonial gown pictured above from a Van Nuys CA. During the night of August 3-4, 2012, a small well-worn cardboard box containing the dress and jewelry pictured was stolen from a car in Van Nuys, CA. A reward is being offered if the items are returned in a timely manner.Please contact Diane Petersen, caretaker of the items. She is asking whoever took
the items to return them as soon as possible, phone 1-719-362-3558 or email godswill7@gmail.com .

Aboriginals: Art of the First Person and its associated online galleries of Native Art dealing in Zuni and other tribal carvings,, Native American Pottery, Native American Jewelry and African, Australian, Inuit and Navajo folk art, members of ATADA, post and report these theft alerts in the hopes that anyone approached by a seller of this stolen item can be identified. There is no statue of limitations in the USA for the possession of stolen goods.

Thank you for your help.

Indian Market is just hours away

...and we are eagerly awaiting it.

In the meantime, we have had some very nice visits with some of our favorite artists.

We have added some excellent and unusual fetish carvings to our selection. We also have added some distinctive and stunning Calvin Begay pendants and link bracelets. But we will not be able to post any of it up until next month.

As a regular customer of ZuniLink.com and Native-American-jewelry.org, you know that we cherry-pick and personally select each item, refusing many pieces that are perfectly acceptable but not perfect enough for you.

Take a look at our web pages this week and bookmark them to return in September for a wonderful treat.

Native Art:Who cares who made it and where it was made

On August 2, the South West Association for Indian Art (SWAIA) will sponsor a panel discussion on Authenticity and the Production of Quality in Native Arts. The event will be co-sponsored by Collected Works Bookstore, the Santa Fe venue for the discussion.

 
Artists, experts, and interested parties in the Santa Fe art market will discuss upholding standards in art making, and integrity in the sale of Native art in shops.  There is little doubt in an art making community like Santa Fe that there is a plethora of beautiful things –many handmade and genuine. But some copies and knock-offs, both deliberate and unintentional, provide ready sources of income to satiate tourists and decorators.  
 
But what are the consequences of allowing the dollar to take the lead in the production of Native art and Indian-style souvenirs in Santa Fe?  Is the groundwork now laid for eventual collapse?  How do artists and non-profits serve to protect heritage, and what is the city of Santa Fe's culpability and role?  
 
The panel, to be moderated by Dr. Bruce Bernstein, Executive Director of SWAIA, is part of SWAIA’s investigation into quality and its commitment to upholding standards of excellence as the preeminent authority in Native art.
 
The August 2 panel begins at 6 pm and is free and open to the public.

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

This writer notes in reading the SWAIA announcement that little credit is given to the commercial aspect of a healthy Native art market. Once again, the "institutional" view seems to be that professional collector/dealers are somewhere between irrelevant, venal an at least, unwelcome.


As one of those dealer/collectors of Native American pottery
Indian jewelry and fetish carvings, who is a member of IACA and ATADA, I know countless professionals in the field. They are upright, honest and supportive of the artists and the market. It is in their best interest to protect the integrity of Native arts. After all, in addition to being a passion for them, it is a source of their income and economic success. They wouldn't think of fouling the nest.


Moreover, the network of reputable dealers, whether resident in Santa Fe or online, is fundamental to the appreciation and success of the Native arts genre. How would the products of artists, who often live in remote communities, get to market, to the thousands of collectors who may never get to a pueblo or Indian Market? Collector/dealers not only buy outright, channeling funds immediately to the artists, but also invest a substantial portion of their income in promoting the artists and the art.


Yes, there are some miscreants in shops along the walkways of Santa Fe. But overwhelmingly, the people who deal in authentic Native arts in Santa Fe and online are responsible, reputable and integral to the growth and popularity of Native art. They should be treated with respect by the institutional elite.

Indian Market artists at Native-American-Jewelry.org

We have been able to gather on one page all of the work in Native-American-Jewelry.org's collection by artists who have been accepted to show at this years SWAIA Indian market. Click on the link to visit our "one stop Indian Market shop."


 http://www.native-american-jewelry.org/2012-SWAIA-Indian-Market-Jewelry-Artists.htm


This is not work that will be shown at this years Indian Market. These are earlier pieces by the same artists. Enjoy.

SWAIA Indian Market Artists Announced

SWAIA has released a list (as of July 24,2012) of artists accepted for the 2012 Santa Fe Indian Market.
Many friends of ours are included. We will shortly issue our own list of those whose work is in our Zunilink  collection., our Native American Pueblo Pottery collection and our Native American jewelry collection.

But, for now, here is the "breaking news".

 http://swaia.org/Indian_Market/2012_Artist_List/index.html

Come back and visit the blog again for updates. It's going to be a great market!!!

30% off for Native American Christmas pottery

Christmas is a long way off - relatively. 


But, like everything else on the calendar, it will be here before we know it. So, at Native-PotteryLink we are offering July savings on Native American pottery items themed to Christmas. 


This includes pottery nativity sets and figures representing Santa Claus and his helpers. 

Trujillo - Jemez Nativity

For the month of July, we  will reduce the price of any of these items by 30%. Simply visit the Native-PotteryLink.com web site and choose the pottery you want to acquire. 


Deduct 30% from the listed price and that is the price you will be charged. (We don't change the prices on the page because the prices will return to that level when the sale is over.)


Get a head start on the season and you will have your Christmas items on hand when it's time to decorate.  

Twenty+ years with Salvador Romero, Cochiti carver

We opened our physical gallery on Sanibel Island 22 years ago this month, after 10 years of trading in Tribal Art in Chicago. One of the first Native American artists we represented was Salvador Romero of Cochiti Pueblo. On more than one occasion he visited the gallery to demonstrate his skills. 


Around 2006, we closed the store and moved our entire ZuniLink, Native American jewelry, Native American Pueblo Pottery other operations online. Salvador and his brother, Wilson Romero, and his nephew-in-law, Lionel Sanchez, have been carving for us ever since. While Sal has had others selling his work, which we think is great for all concerned, we are proud to be associated with his early days and the growth of his popularity. 


In honor of this anniversary, and as a thank you to all who have given us their business, we are offering every carving by Sal, Wilson and Lionel in our inventory at 25% off the listed price. Look at these directory pages to see what is available.


http://www.zunilink.com/Salvador_Romero_Cochiti_carvings.htm


http://www.zunilink.com/Salvador-Romero-Cochiti-carvings-2.htm (also has an interesting video of Sal)


http://www.zunilink.com/Salvador-Romero-Cochiti-carvings-3.htm


http://www.zunilink.com/Salvador-Romero-Cochiti-carvings-4.htm


http://www.zunilink.com/Wilson-Romero-Cochiti-carvings-page-2.htm


http://www.zunilink.com/Wilson-Romero-Cochiti-carvings-page-3.htm


http://www.zunilink.com/Wilson-Romero-Cochiti-carvings-page-4.htm


http://www.zunilink.com/Wilson-Romero-Cochiti-carvings-page-5.htm


http://www.zunilink.com/Lionel-Sanchez-San-Felipe-carvings.htm


If you see something you like, simple calculate your price at 25% off of the price being shown and contact us at 800-303-0185. We will take care of it from there.

The meaning of quality in Native American art?

What is the meaning of quality when evaluating and discussing Native art?

 
 
SANTA FE, New Mexico—SWAIA and Collected Works Bookstore present conversations about the meaning of quality when evaluating and discussing art.  What is quality and how it is determined will be the topic of a series of provocative panel discussions.  The first panel, “Authenticity in Native Art,” will take place at Collected Works Bookstore (202 Galisteo St, #2) on Thursday, July 12 at 6 pm.
 
Authenticity and materials are often used as means to discuss and describe quality.  This three-part series of panel discussions engages artists and brings authorities together to examine the meanings of “authenticity” in Native art and related topics of concern to the community. SWAIA will use these topics to engage artists by asking them to respond to two questions:  What is “authenticity” in Native art, and what is its importance to quality?  Questions will address the roles and relevance of authenticity to creativity, cultural preservation, and quality of art, aside from art market value.  SWAIA asks artists themselves to define quality and artistic excellence at Indian Market.
 
SWAIA and Collected Works Bookstore invite the public to hear from the experts in these lively discussions on Thursdays, July 12, July 19, and August 2. Artists alone will make up the first panel, joined later in the series by curators, community leaders, and other stakeholders on Thursday, July 19 and Thursday, August 2.   The panels are part of SWAIA’s investigation into quality and its commitment to upholding standards of excellence as the preeminent authority in Native art.
 
All panels begin at 6 pm and are free of charge. 
 
For more information, visit www.santafeindianmarket.com.
 

Australian Aboriginal art is Barking up a different tree.

In Australia, famous for bark paintings by Aboriginal artists, paper is moving up as an alternative medium to bark. 

The advantages for artists, and buyers is that paper is readily available year-round, while bark can only be harvested from trees during and after the December-June wet season. Removing the bark kills the tree. 

Paper, on the other hand, is cotton-based. It's also much easier to ship. As Aboriginal art has become more popular, with demand in distant places, shipping costs and difficulties have become important factors. Bark is a problem in this regard. 

Warping and becoming moldy can make the bark unattractive and undesirable for hanging. As bark gets older, brittleness and cracking similarly diminish it's appeal and marketability. 

Archival paper has a density and texture similar to the surface of bark, which accepts ochre paints well. Guache is used to prepare the surface for painting.

Some of our favorite images on paper come from Injalak near Oenpelli in the North of Australia.  They report that paper is responsible for more than 75% of their painting sales. As important as paper has become, cultural fidelity places the decision of what medium to use in the hands of the artist.

This one was done by Larry Nalorman of Oenpelli

More examples of Australian Aboriginal bark-style paintings on bark and paper can be seen here http://www.tribalworks.com/Australian_Aboriginal_Bark_Painting_Gallery.htm.