Buying & Selling Antique Native American Blankets, Jewelry - 1Earth Antiques and Appraisals Magazine

SELECTED GLOSSARY OF NATIVE AMERICAN ARTWORK

Basketry (Eskimo/Inuit) — Typically small baskets made of whale baleen that has been cut into strips and then woven. A 20th-Century creation for trade purposes. Most baskets include a lid with carved ivory handle, and are very collectible.

Basketry (Northern Woodlands) — Most often made of birch bark, grasses or woven splints. Sometimes embellished with moose hair embroidery, porcupine quills or designs chewed into the bark by the weaver. Not especially collectible, except in their indigenous regions.

Basketry (Southeast) — Typified by Chitimacha or Cherokee work, a twilled plaiting style using river cane. This work is usually adorned with geometric patterns, though symbolic representations of animal and spirit forces are not uncommon.

Basketry (Southwest) — Mostly done by the Apache, Hopi, Pima, and Papago peoples. Patterns are typically woven, not painted, and are both geometric and pictorial. By the very nature of basketry, curved lines are difficult to weave — leading to zigzag, stepped-band, and other such designs. These pieces originated as functional objects that were attractive to outsiders, leading to a market demand.

Basketry (West Coast) — West coast Indian tribes developed basketry into a great art form. In particular, the Pomo people were known for their baskets of different sizes, techniques, and designs. Woven of grasses, roots, and bark, these baskets were used for storage, carrying, and even cooking.

Beadwork & Quillwork (Northern Woodlands) — From the Northeast, porcupine quillwork and beadwork artifacts made prior to the mid-19th Century are extremely rare. Most examples in circulation tend to be pouches, weapons and articles of clothing. Many small beaded "whimsies" were sold at Niagara Falls in the early 20th Century as souvenirs. Even so, there is a modest market for such products. Further west, toward the Great Lakes, you find beadwork pouches known as bandoleer bags. These are large bags often created for ceremonial or dress purposes, designed to be worn over the shoulder bandoleer-style. Also see wampum.

Beadwork & Quillwork (Great Plains) — Using porcupine quills at first, and later glass beads acquired through trade, many tribes of Great Plains Indians adorned everything from articles of clothing to pouches to moccasins.

Beadwork (Southeast) — These artifacts are typically made of early trade beads, and include pouches and other objects. Any original beadwork from the Southeast is likely to be over 150 years old, and is certainly very rare and collectible.

Booger Mask (Southeast) — Made by the Cherokee, this is a carved mask generally designed to dispel the negative impact (such as disease, famine, etc.) of outside influences. Very rare.

Bows & Arrows (universal) — A weapon common to almost all Native Americans. While most were for practical use and therefore unadorned, some were painted in traditional tribal patterns. Relatively affordable (most bows sell for under $2,000).

Clothing (Southeast) — The Seminole people created very beautiful and intricate appliqué using varicolored trade cloth, on dresses, shirts, and pantalons. Few antique examples remain, however, so this work can be very valuable.

Drawings & Prints (Eskimo/Inuit) — Largely a contemporary art form of the Canadian Inuit, who first acquired paper in the 1950s. Subjects typically include abstract renditions of historical, spiritual, or animal figures, as well as naturalistic drawings of hunting scenes and northern life. While some better-known artists can command thousands of dollars for original works, signed prints can be found for under $100.

Hunting & Fishing Implements (Eskimo/Inuit) — Made of driftwood, stone, bone, or ivory, These include items such as harpoons, slate knives known as ulus, fishhooks, and unusual implements such as seal scratchers. (The latter is typically a pole with seal claws attached; by scratching near a breathing hole in the ice as a seal or other mammal might, a hunter can lure his prey.) Items are often carved; see scrimshaw.

Jewelry (Eskimo/Inuit) — Mostly pins, earrings, and other artifacts, made of bone, ivory, and sometimes beadwork. Labrets (mouth-piercings) are also found.

Jewelry (Southwest) — Made mostly of silver and turquoise, and crafted by the Navaho, Hopi, Zuni and some Pueblo groups, initially for themselves, then for trade. Most famous is the "squash blossom" necklace, which has a string of globular silver beads interspersed by flare-tip "blossoms" and an Arabic-influenced, crescent-shaped pendant in the center called a naja. (The Arabic influence came to the American desert via the Spaniards up from Mexico.) Most Southwest jewelry is much less fashionable than it was in the 1970s and early '80s when the market was at its peak; pieces that sold for thousands of dollars back then might only fetch a few hundred dollars today. One exception is fine jewelry made by the Navaho in the late-19th and early 20th Centuries, which remains very rare and collectible.

Kachina Dolls (Southwest) — Predominantly made by the Hopi and Zuni, these dolls are personifications of the spirit pantheon, and are given as gifts to little girls, even to this day. While boys undergo tribal initiations — which introduce them to the spirits that influence their lives — little girls learn of these spirits through their kachina dolls. The dolls are typically made of wood, are 6 to 18 inches high, and resemble human figure forms.

Masks (Northern Woodlands) — Created by the Iroquois, "false face" masks of wood or cornhusks were used in healing ceremonies; typically worn by societies of lay shamans. While false face masks have a strong history, they have been made, traded, and sold almost continuously since the 1800s. Even as late as the 1960s and '70s, the Iroquois were carving false face masks for sale, many of which appear on the market today.

Masks (Northwest; Eskimo/Inuit) — Made almost exclusively of carved wood; very rarely made of copper, and in more recent times of bone and ivory. Usually depict spirit and ancestral figures. Used in storytelling, feasts, and other ceremonial events, most typically during winter seasons when much activity took place indoors. Eskimo masks are among the most collectible of Native American artwork.

Paintings (Southwest; Great Plains) — These are typically oil canvases that depict landscapes, ceremonies, heroic activities (such as buffalo hunting), and other scenes of tribal life. The most typical works are mostly from the Hopi, Navajo and Pueblo tribes, though there are prominent artists from the Comanche, Apache, Kiowa, and other Southern Plains tribes, as well as talented individuals from throughout the United States; virtually all date from the 1930s or later. Historically, most tribes painted pottery, hides, or other materials, but relatively few took pigment to a flat surface, let alone a canvas. This changed in 1932 when a white woman, Dorothy Dunn, established The Studio at the Santa Fe Indian School — which cultivated an entire generation of artists. Perhaps the most famous painter was a Hopi named Fred Kabotie (c. 1900-1986), whose works can sell for upwards of $30,000.

Parfleche (Great Plains) — These are painted rawhide containers — stiff, protective, folding "suitcases" designed for carrying goods such as meat or clothing, or for holding important objects such as medicines..

Pipes (universal) — Virtually all tribes smoked for relaxation. At certain auspicious moments, however, smoking took on great importance — for instance, to establish a bond or to reconcile differences (hence the term "peace pipe"). Also see tomahawk.

Pottery (Southeast) — Often referred to as Moundbuilder, Caddoan or Mississippian pottery, its development is centered around the Ohio River valley and the Mississippi River basin and its abundant supply of clay. Tended to be unpainted and relatively simple, though there were examples of some effigy work, depicting human and animal figures.

Pottery (Southwest) — The pieces were largely practical, though some were made for ceremonial purposes, including burial. Works were almost always unglazed, with geometric and pictorial painted motifs — reflecting abstract representations of natural forces, such as rain, clouds, waterways, as well as stylized desert and mountain imagery. An ancient tradition with roots going back centuries, pottery still flourishes today in the Southwest as an art form, and varies greatly in value. It's possible to find truly ancient pottery — even 1,000 years old — for under $50, though it will likely be damaged and lack any decoration. On the other hand, some elaborate, modern pieces from the 1940s and later can fetch over $25,000 — especially those by some of the better-known artists such as Helen Cordero (1915-1994) and Maria Martinez (1884-1980). (Interestingly, because Martinez was so prolific, you can find small bowls and other works by her, in less than mint condition, for just several hundred dollars.)

Scrimshaw (Eskimo/Inuit) — Carved designs in ivory and bone, often enhanced with pigment rubbed into the engravings. While ancient carvings exist, most work was made after the arrival of outside sailors and traders — leading to cribbage boards, napkin rings, and other objects that have no relevance to indigenous arctic life. Some work is moderately valuable, though nice items can be found for several hundred dollars.

Shields & Shield Covers (Great Plains and Puebloan) — Typically made of stiff hide, such as buffalo skin. Shields were often painted with a warrior's spirit animal, for power and insight. Shield covers would protect the surface of the shield, and are sometimes found for sale on their own. Many shields were made for trade or purely ceremonial purposes, but "legitimate" older shields — crafted for use in battle — are considered to have accordingly significant power. High-quality examples are very rare.

Stone Carvings (Eskimo/Inuit) — Carvings usually made of a relatively soft green or grey stone, known as soapstone. Subjects include animals (walruses, polar bears, seals, beluga whales, and birds are common) and human hunters, plus spirit figures and mythological images. Stone carvings were not a common art form until contact was made with Europeans and Russians, when they became a source of revenue from the outside world. Most work on the market is by contemporary artists, and varies from under $100 to several thousand dollars.

Teepee liners (Great Plains) — Tanned hides, or canvas acquired in trade, intended as an insulation layer for teepees and as a means of beautifying the home; vital for Great Plains Indians, who had to endure bitterly cold winters. Often painted with geometric and occasionally pictorial motifs. Fairly rare.

Tomahawks (Northern Woodlands; Southeast; Great Plains) — Essentially a hatchet, introduced initially by Europeans. Typically made of wood with a metal blade. One intriguing variation is the pipe tomahawk — a tomahawk with a built-in pipe bowl, ready to serve its owner in both peace and war. Conventional tomahawks are not uncommon.

Totem Poles (Northwest) — Carved from a single tree, typically cedar, a totem pole would serve as a family-owned memorial, a prestige object that publicly proclaimed the social status of each clan. Typically employed various animal and humanoid spirit figures that the clan has "earned" the right to exhibit. Most "authentic" totem poles are either in museums, remain standing in Native villages, or are overgrown and rotting in a protected area. Items that come to market are either by contemporary artisans — Bill Reid (1920-1998) being the most famous — or were small models carved within the last century or so for trade.

Umbilical Fetishes(Great Plains) — An amulet of great power and personal significance. At birth, a child's umbilical cord would be saved, then stored inside a turtle or lizard form made of hide and covered in beadwork.

Wampum (Northern Woodlands) — Created primarily in the Northeast, these are white or purple beads made from shells that have been strung into belts. Most commonly given as gifts to commemorate historic moments, wampum was coveted since it was very difficult and time-consuming to make. With few examples remaining in circulation, wampum is extremely rare, collectible, and valuable.

Weaving (Northern Woodlands) — Woven artifacts from this region typically include belts, pouches, mats and other items made of wool or other natural fibers. Native tribes did finger-weaving, since they didn't use looms. Early artifacts are quite rare, especially those made with natural vegetable dyes. Interestingly, in the 19th Century, in the small village of L'Assomption, Québec, white women finger-wove sashes for trade with Natives; these articles are collectible in their own right.

Weaving (Southwest) — The Navaho people were shepherds, and had learned to spin yarn, dye wool and build looms, making them the leading proponents of weaving in the region. (The Hopi and Zuni also wove a small number of textiles.) For ages the Navaho had woven blankets for tribal use and for trade. But by the late 1860s, the Navaho no longer wove out of necessity, as they had lost their land and become wards of the state. They began to weave for income from the outside world. As a result, the blanket evolved into different forms, especially rugs (which had never been used by the Navaho). Patterns in Navaho rugs are mostly geometric, but some are pictorial — and are very collectible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hailing from Wisconsin, Jim Haas graduated with a Masters degree in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has lived abroad, spending a year each in Mexico City and Cairo. Since 1984, he has served as Director of Butterfields' Ethnographic Art department — during which time he has handled the sale of almost $20 million worth of native, ancient and tribal art.