Both Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art have gained international recognition as valuable art forms over the past few decades. However, the rising popularity of both Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art has resulted in the increased proliferation of imitations and mass-produced reproductions of original Native arts. Some obvious fakes are made in Asia from molds where the finished pieces are forms of plastic, resin or ceramic.
Other fakes are actually made of cast stone simulating actual Inuit Eskimo art carvings and wood for imitation Native American carvings. These fakes, which are harder to distinguish from authentic artwork, are often hand carved reproductions of an original piece of artwork. Workshops have illegally reproduced hundreds of copies without the artisan's permission. The counterfeiting companies would then attach some type of tag that claims the fake pieces were influenced by aboriginal artisans and even background information on the Native designs used in the artwork. Some even go as far as adding in Inuit syllabics on the bottom of the fake Inuit Eskimo art carvings.
These are very deceptive tactics on their part since they give the consumers the impression that the imitations are authentic and income producing for the aboriginal communities.
Fakes and imitations have lowered the image of authentic Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art. Sales of genuine aboriginal artwork have declined which in turn have deprived aboriginal artisans of income. The argument against these claims is that not every consumer can afford to buy authentic Inuit Eskimo art or Native American art so the souvenir level reproductions legitimately meet this part of the market. The imitations, which are usually low priced, enable students visiting Canada for example, to bring home a Canadian souvenir without breaking their travel budget. This claim would have more support from Native communities if aboriginal artisans were paid a fair royalty as income for each imitation and reproduction piece sold. However, this is seldom the case since most of the time, no royalties are paid at all.
The obvious fakes can be spotted quite easily. An imitation of an Inuit Eskimo art carving spotted at a gift shop was not made of stone as it was not cold to the touch. It was very light in weight unlike a stone which has some mass to it. The detail and the bottom of the piece had the molded look to it. There was even a sticker on the bottom with the company name Wolf Originals. Side by side comparisons of similar pieces in the souvenir store revealed that they were all identical in every detail, which is impossible for original artwork.
A black totem pole had a very flat uniform back and bottom again giving away the fact that it came from a mold. Other totem poles made from wood or mixed wood with a claim that they were hand painted were among many similar pieces in the store. All of these examples were each priced less than $20 Canadian which was another indicator that they were not original artwork.
Imitations of Inuit Eskimo art sculptures were recently spotted for sale in shops located at major Canadian airports. From a distance, these Inuit Eskimo art sculptures of hunters, polar bears and Inuit women with children looked very authentic. However, each piece had several identical copies on the same shelf.
To avoid accidentally buying a fake or imitation, it is suggested that consumers buy Inuit Eskimo art and Native American art from only reputable galleries and dealers rather than from tourist souvenir shops. A piece of original, authentic Inuit Eskimo art or Native American art is one of a kind. There should be no other identical pieces on the shelves. In addition, original Inuit Eskimo art carvings should come with an Igloo tag (or sticker) which is a Canadian government registered trademark. Inuit Eskimo art carvings that are certified by the Canadian government to be handmade by Inuit artisans, come with Igloo tags.
Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery (http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca), an online gallery specializing in Inuit and Northwest Native American art including carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has numerous information resource articles with photos of authentic Inuit and Native Indian art as well as free eCards.
So why are these swords so popular? There are several... Read More
As far back as one can remember famous celebrities have... Read More
If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you... Read More
Over thiry-five years ago, I picked up a book on... Read More
Amaterasu is a shining example of how adversity can help... Read More
Body piercings have seen a resurgence of interest in the... Read More
Unlike Inuit sculpture, art prints from the Canadian Arctic are... Read More
Opinions about astrological prediction are generally divided: "Mysterious! Magical!", say... Read More
But people are starting to take a new look at... Read More
Martius, the month of March, is named after him. So... Read More
Tribal tattoos have been practiced for thousands of years. Modern... Read More
Family Values in Ancient Times:Many people of the present make... Read More
Leo Some tragic news hits you hard and makes you... Read More
If you have been following gymnastics for any length of... Read More
Your own shirt designed and made by you for your... Read More
Our Self is the true center of our being and... Read More
GRIGORY EFIMOVICH NOVYKH (RASPUTIN):'Hail, Hail, Ras-putin'. This man's story has... Read More
Opal is a magnificent gemstone whose shades encompass virtually every... Read More
A comedian once showed a newspaper to his audience. The... Read More
Plato observed that the advent of an alphabet making writing... Read More
Grove Mill, Mitcham; where in 1934 many of the iron... Read More
The export of certain Inuit sculpture from Canada to other... Read More
1. Can you briefly summarize why you think history is... Read More
Feng shui handles five main elements in order to achieve... Read More
Some scientists argue over creation and evolution and they argue... Read More
It is safe to say that in ... Read More
The FoolMy first direct experience of the fool in masking... Read More
In the late 19th century the music world was graced... Read More
Flashes of memory stream into my consciousness. They take me... Read More
His plays and adaptations have been performed in many countries... Read More
INSPIRATIONAL COMMENTS:"Let me issue and control a nation's money and... Read More
Egypt has long been the source of countless conspiracies, ranging... Read More
The emerald is probably the most rare of all precious... Read More
Have you ever thought?What is the best way out of... Read More
Plato observed that the advent of an alphabet making writing... Read More
Spainīs flag (the national one) is as colorful as the... Read More
OGHAM:As any reader of my work knows by now, Ogham... Read More
The mysterious and the mystical have always had the power... Read More
Canada is an emancipated country in the relative scheme of... Read More
"By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote."... Read More
The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of truth,... Read More
The ancient peoples of Europe were more fond of masks... Read More
So why are these swords so popular? There are several... Read More
IntroductionDo you know what "silk embroidery is? Do you know... Read More
New Age - A Paradigm Shift to Divine Consciousness &... Read More
INSPIRATIONAL COMMENTS:"Let me issue and control a nation's money and... Read More
The thunderbird has been one of the most dominant icons... Read More
Opal is a magnificent gemstone whose shades encompass virtually every... Read More
How necessary is cleaning your Civil War Uniform?The every day... Read More
Throughout the ages, men and women have used gemstones and... Read More
There is bias in the elite media! How often do... Read More
The inexplicable bothers me. It always has. You know, the... Read More
Body piercing has grown so much in popularity in recent... Read More
"Authentic," "authentic," "authentic" is all you hear if you are... Read More
Anchor tattoos were all the rage for sailors. It was... Read More
We live at an interesting time of scientific knowledge. Scientists... Read More
Special Types of MediumsRice paper is a very delicate medium... Read More
From the creative explosion marking the outset of the universe... Read More
Gymnastics, as an activity, has been around for more than... Read More
Here are the men's and women's all-around champions from the... Read More
For the first time in history, there are four generations... Read More
The following is a general over view of African Masks.There... Read More
Your own shirt designed and made by you for your... Read More
The North South Hemisphere Question:The question of whether or not... Read More
I am very interested in reading about ghostly stories and... Read More
Today there is a growing need to examine all our... Read More
Humanities |