A PASSAGE TO INDIA: January 2009

We speak Tribal Art in many languages

Tribal Artery has joined AVCOSA

Do we need a Culture Czar?

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-PotteryLinkWe 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 IACAThe 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

Not quite Tribal Art - but close enough for many.

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

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 FeIndian Market, which is Santa Fe's largest annual public event and themost prestigious Indian art market in the world. It attracts over 100,000visitors each year, while showcasing established and emerging NativeAmerican artists. What may not be clear to the general public is the depthof involvement and unconditional support that SWAIA has for the Nativearts and Santa Fe communities.Throughout its 88 year history, the Santa Fe Indian Market has been thecentral event in establishing the relevance of Native arts in the United Statesand the primary architect in shaping the cultural identity of Santa Fe. TheMarket is the voice and platform for Native artists to promote their art practiceand the singularly most important cultural event in the United States that hasprovided autonomy and stability to the Native arts community. And althoughthe Santa Fe Indian Market is rooted deeply in tradition, it is making boldleaps of reinvention to support native artists in all stages of their career.SWAIA is excited to begin another year of programs and events and invitesthe public to attend its Annual Membership Meeting. SWAIA's ExecutiveDirector Bruce Bernstein and Board Director Fran Mullin will outline this year'sprograms and initiatives including details about the Santa Fe Indian Marketscheduled for August 22-23, 2009.A complete 2009 SWAIA schedule of events is available on our updatedwebsite www. swaia.org. The website features a new online application forprospective artist applicants.For more information on this and other SWAIA events please contactMarketing and Public Relations Associate Gabe Gomez at ggomez@swaia.orgor (505) 983-5220 x 229

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The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, a non-profit organization,is an advocate for Native American arts and cultures (particularly thosein the Southwest). SWAIA creates economic and cultural opportunitiesfor Native American artists by: producing and promoting the Santa Fe IndianMarket as the finest Indian art event in the world, cultivating excellence andinnovation across traditional and non-traditional art forms, and developingprograms and events that support, promote, and honor Native artists year-round.SWAIA is located at 141 East Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, N.M.; telephonenumber 505-983-5220; www.swaia.org.

Antiques Roadshow announces 2009 schedule

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 PASSAGE TO INDIA

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