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[article provided by Pat Morris. Thanks...]

http://www.azstarnet.com/public/dnews/0131N3.html
Monday, 31 January 2000

Indian art: How to separate real thing from cheap knockoffs

Aaron J. Latham,
The Arizona Daily Star

Indian arts expert Mark Bahti holds a Paiute basket that
sells for $300. He says the Pakistani-made basket in the
background sells for from $50 to as much as the authentic product.

By Jill Jorden Spitz
The Arizona Daily Star

So you're enchanted by the intricate patterns of Navajo rugs.

Or you've always dreamed of owning an elaborately carved Hopi kachina.

But you don't know what's authentic, what's a good deal, what's popular
this year.

This is a good time to learn.

The Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase is getting into full swing.
More than 20 Indian artists will sell their wares through Feb. 13 at the
American Indian Exposition at the Flamingo Travelodge, 1300 N. Stone
Ave. Native artists also are at most of the dozen other open-to-the-public
shows.

That's not all. Area shops are stocked up for winter visitors. Indian arts
shows are regular wintertime occurrences. And recent sightings of Indian
jewelry in national catalogs and magazines hint that a surge in interest -
and possibly in price - is coming.

Before you buy, though, consider these tips from Mark Bahti, a nationally
recognized authority in the field of traditional and contemporary Indian arts
and crafts. Bahti owns Tucson's Bahti Indian Arts, which his father started
in 1952.
 

Jewelry

The current craze is for color inlays - tiny pieces of turquoise, coral or
malachite formed into shapes or patterns, Bahti said.

Such work was once done mostly by Zuni artists, but Navajos have
entered the field, too.

Inlays are made from natural or block materials, Bahti said. Block
turquoise sounds quite authentic, but actually it's plastic that
is colored and textured to look like its namesake.

Block often is priced like the real thing, Bahti said. And even if it's not,
know that it's not likely to last for long - it is about as hard as a guitar
pick and can suffer a serious gouge from a pin or sharp edge, he said.

Also popular this year are necklaces of silver, stone or shell beads,
Bahti said. While some artists make their own beads, others buy
beads and string them. For highest value, the tag or receipt
should say "Indian made," not "Indian strung."
 

Kachinas

Several tribes make kachinas, but Hopis use them ceremonially, and
experts consider only Hopi kachinas to be collectible, he said.

Spotting the difference isn't always easy because Hopi kachinas come
in a wide range of sizes, styles and colors.

In general, though, Navajo kachinas tend to incorporate fur and feathers,
while Hopi kachinas are more likely to be all wood. Hopi artists started
carving feathers years ago to comply with laws restricting the use of
game bird feathers, Bahti said.

Another clue is price. Because of their craftsmanship and rarity, Hopi
kachinas rarely cost less than $100, he said.

Finally, don't be fooled by trappings of authenticity. Some kachinas and
pots have machine-stamped signatures made to look hand-lettered.
 

Rugs

If you want a rug, make sure you're looking at a Navajo-made rug, not a
copy made in Mexico.

How to tell?

Look at the long edge and push aside a couple of horizontal threads
until you can see the vertical fibers on which the rug was woven. The
outermost row of those vertical fibers may have two threads, but every
other row should be a single thread.

Copies often are made on looms that have two threads on the two
outermost rows.
 

Pottery

Indian pots come in three varieties: hand-formed and hand-painted;
greenware, machine-made pots painted by Indian artists; and pots
that are based on Indian designs but are manufactured and painted
in overseas factories.

To spot a factory-made pot, look close: Pots made in molds should
have a faint vertical seam.

If you want a handmade and hand-painted pot, make sure the tag or the
receipt says "Indian handmade pottery."
 

Baskets

Baskets, which are made by several tribes, are tough for novices.

Machine-made and Pakistani-made copies are rampant, and unless you
know what Indian baskets are made of and what those materials look
like stripped and dried, it's very difficult to spot a fake, Bahti said.

Some manufacturers attach hanging tags with such reassuring
language as "authentic" or "handmade," Bahti said. What they don't say -
because they can't - is that the basket was made by an American Indian.

"Sometimes what they don't say is as important as what they do
say," he said.
 

Fetishes

Fetishes, or tiny animals carved from stone, are often Zuni but
also are made by other tribes.

As with pots, determining authenticity is tough because the art
form is changing, Bahti said. In the past, authentic fetishes tended to be
primitive, while fakes were more intricate; not so anymore. In Bahti's
display case is a tiny but lifelike marble grizzly bear carrying an even
tinier  fish carved from abalone shell.

Knowledge of Indian arts has always been an asset for buyers,
Bahti said. But as copies continue to flood the market - a trend that is
likely to increase along with interest - some basic know-how becomes
not just helpful but essential, he said.

"Once the market gets bigger," he said, "it attracts people who
are looking for a fast buck."

Some of those people pass off fakes as authentic, and some
willingly admit to selling inexpensive knockoffs. Buying the cheap stuff
may seem  to be a good way to take home a little Southwestern flavor,
but it can  make life tough for native artisans, Bahti said.

"The buyer is winding up taking food out of the mouths of artisans,"
he said.
 

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