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Just a Holiday Wish

Two days before Christmas day, the post office tells us it is too late to deliver, even overnight, before Christmas Morning. Therefore our web sites at Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink, TribalWorks and ZuniLink are unable to fulfill Christmas gift orders in a timely way.

So, this is a perfect time simply to wish all of our loyal customers and readers a Merry Christmas and a New Year filled witth happiness and prosperity.

Thank you for spending this year with us. We hope you will come back and see us in 2010.

Susanne and William Waites

Indians Dance at Native American Art Show in Cape Coral, FL

About a week ago, with our continuing interest in Native American art, as evidenced at our web sites (ZuniLink, Native American jewelry, Native American pottery and TribalWorks), we spent an afternoon at a Native American art show in Cape Coral, Florida. We were attracted to some degree by the incongruity of Native American art in this venue. Nevertheless, it was a satisfying experience.

We encountered a Native American artist, Susie Longhair, Cocopah, that we had not met before. We were struck by the ingenuity and attractiveness of her jewelry creations. We posted about it a few days back and included some photos of items we acquired.

This posting, however, is about dancing that was demonstrated by Native American Indians present at the show. The dance presentation included some instructive narrative about the dances, some of which we were able to capture on video. But, given the limited recording time available on the video camera, we chose to concentrate on the dances. So here they are:


For another look at aspects of Native American culture, visit our web sites at Native-JewelryLink.com for examples of expert Native American jewelry, Native-PotteryLink.com for examples of beautifully created Pueblo and other Indian pots, and ZuniLink.com for fetish carvings by Zuni and other Native peoples. Thank you.

Australian government to implement Resale Royalty Rights for visual artists.

(William & Susanne Waites, proprietors of Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, report on news and events influencing the tribal art market.)

In legislation passed this November, the Australian Parliament has created a law that will require payment of a royalty of 5% of the resale price of a work of art to the artist, if still living, or to the artist's estate for seventy years following the artist's death.

There are conditions, but profitability is not one of them. If a gallery (or private owner, one presumes) sells the art for less than was paid for it, a 5% royalty still must be paid. At this point, the royalty is only payable on a sale exceeding $1,000.

We have commented earlier, when this law was being vetted, our concern that the unintended consequences of the law will be more damaging than the benefits, if any.

For example, if a gallery is required to pay 5% of the sale price of work that they may lose money on, how eager will they be to purchase art by unknown or emerging artists? Will this stunt the market for those without establish reputations?

Will the market see and automatic increase in pricing of more than 5% to cover the cost of the royalty? Will this also have a depressing effect on the art market?

Will this external market control, as with many well-intended moves, end up doing damage to the interests of the artists it seeks to protect?

Fortunately, all of the Australian Aboriginal works in our inventory at http://www.tribalworks.com/Australian-Aboriginal-art-buyers-guide.htm
are exempt until they are sold in the Australian market a second time.

You could consider it a 5% discount.

Two More Days of Free Shipping

Since we understand from the USPS that they still can deliver priority packages by Christmas if they are mailed no later than December 17, we have extended our free shipping offer until the close of Post Office business on 12/17.

This offer extends to any jewelry or fetish carving shipped by USPS Priority to any point in the US. We may be able to apply it to other items from our other web sites at TribalWorks and Native-PotteryLink too. Ask us.

Finally, if you are absolutely desperate and still have not ordered by December 22, all is not lost. FedEx is available for over night delivery. It is not free and it is a little on the expensive side. But it will get there in time.

We just sent an item via FedEx to a member of the military who is about to deploy, so overnight delivery was an absolute must. We were happy to pitch in and share the cost of the shipping as a our small way of saying "thank you" to the defenders of our freedom.

May your holidays be shiny and bright, like the Native American jewelry we offer, and your New Year be filled with healing, like the Zuni fetishes we sell.

Susanne and William

A Pleasure to meet a NEW Native American artist.

One of the great treats of this vocation/avocation is the opportunity to meet new artists. It is especially rewarding when you do so in unexpected places.

We decided to go the the Native American art show in Cape Coral, FL. It is the next town over from us and we were curious about what kind of a crowd and exhibitors it would attract.

The crowd was small, but enthusiastic on a beautiful, cool Florida day. There were Indian dancers. I shot a video of some of the action. It will be posted here shortly.

First, however, I want to introduce you to the work of an artist we met for the first time at this event.

Her name is Suzie Longhair. She is a Cocopah Indian, which describes as a tribe related to the Maricopa. Her ancestral home is in Arizona.

We were struck by her work in a genre we had not seen before. She gathers shells and beads and other found items into works of Native American jewelry art.

They are hand-sewn to pieces of fabric with pin mechanisms and hooks so that the may be worn as pins or attached to chain or string as pendant.

Here are four that we picked up to offer to you.This one is a slice of brown-tinged ammonite surrounded by beads
in complimentary purples. It has both a pin and a pendant loop
attached to the fabric back. The size is 2" x 2 1/2".
It will be $135 when it gets posted to our web site.
If you purchase it here, it's yours for $115.


This one is a bit eclectic, combining as it does a replica of an
African mask with complimentary shells and beads.
The size is 2 3/4" x 2 3/4". It will be $165
when it gets to our web site. Right now it is $150.


This one is predominantly golden in hue. (Sorry about the photo;
I can sendbetter if you request it.) It is 3 1/4" x 2 3/4"
and is done in the form of a butterfly.Once it gets
to the web site it will be $155. Buy it now for $140.


Perhaps the most striking is the ultra-elegant dragonfly done
in all black beads and bits. The dragonfly is highly revered
in native culture as a harbinger of rain. This pin/pendant
will be $125. An early bird will get the dragonfly for $110.

Bonus time: Each of these unique creations comes with complimentary-colored fabric pouch to keep it safe in a jewelry drawer. No extra charge.

If you are interested, don't delay. These are the only ones we have of these. And we can still get one to you by Christmas if you act now.

Two days left for free shipping

We will ship any purchase from our ZuniLink and Native American jewelry sites free via USPS Priority to any point in the US.

Priority will have it to you in time for holiday giving.

Of course, if the person who receives your gift wants to return it, we will accept returns through January 3, 2010. No questions asked. All we do ask is that the item be in the same condition as it was shipped.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannakuh and a prosperous New Year to all.

The online addresses again:

http://www.ZuniLInk.com for outstanding fetish and other carvings by Zuni Indians and other Native Americans and

http://www.Native-JewelryLink.com for Native American Indian jewelry that is certain to please a flatter any recipient.

Gold! in Native American tribal art jewelry!!

I last wrote about Native American jewelry in gold back when that precious metal was less than $800 an ounce. Even then, I pointed out that this was a good time to buy gold jewelry from us because our prices had not increased at the pace of the replacement cost of gold.

I also recall talking with Artie Yellowhorse, a fabulous Navajo jewelrymaker who used to do a lot of work in gold (right). It was about three years ago. At that time, she said she was not doing anything more in gold. It had become too expensive for her.

We have not acquired anything made with gold - granted it is 14k, not pure (24k) - in several years. So all the gold and gold overlay pieces we offer had their prices set according to what we paid when gold was less than $800 per ounce.

An example is this exquisite 14k gold pendant (left) in the shape of a whale fluke, with inlay of opal. It includes a 14k gold chain.

Today gold is hovering just below $1,200 per ounce. All those television commercials selling gold bullion suggest it is going higher. But our prices are still where they were three years ago, when gold was much less expensive.

So we repeat our observation that this is a bargain time to buy gold and gold overlay jewelry from Native-JewelryLink. Just click on the link to go to our primary case for Native American gold jewelry.

By the way, we are offering free USPS Priority shipping for Christmas, with guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery, on any Native American jewelry order placed by December 15.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The Perils of Paying - A Tribal Art Morality Tale.

Aboriginals: Art of the First Person, host of Tribal Artery and web sites at ZuniLink, Native-JewelryLink, Native-PotteryLink and TribalWorks, regularly surveys the news-sphere to bring readers news of interest concerning the art world.

The Santa Fe New Mexican has reported on an IRS tax raid on a Santa Fe art gallery as part of an alleged tax investigation.

According to the New Mexican, numerous federal agents entered the Torres Gallery on Water Street and confiscated scores of works by gourd artist, Robert Rivera.

Buried in the story was an interesting report that federal agents took issue with whether or not some of the items confiscated were owned by the gallery, the result of gallery owners having paid for them, or were present in the gallery on consignment from the artist. In the latter case, they qualify as property of the artist, who appears to be the target of the action. In the former case, however, they would be the property of the gallery and not be subject to seizure in settlement of a tax judgment.

The gallery manager, Frank Quintanar, is reported as having said he had trouble convincing the federal agents that some items were paid for and, therefore belong to someone other than the artist.

The lessons to be learned from this?

If you are a gallery owner or dealer, retain all receipts or other proof of purchase in a place where it can be easily accessed. Visits from the authoritiea are seldom announced in advance.

If you are a collector, remove your purchase from the gallery or store premises immediately upon completing your purchase. You do not want to be caught in the middle between the government and an artist who may or may not be delinquent on tax payments.