This is a slightly revised version of an article that appeared in the Wilton Show Section of The Arts and Antiques Weekly in March, 1999
Expanding public exposure to the beauty of antique Native American art has resulted in an ever growing group of people inspired to
become collectors. The novice collector, however, asks how to go about defining such a collection. While this is a typical question posed
when beginning any type of collection, there are several unique considerations that need to be addressed when collecting antique Native
American art.
There are some common cultural misconceptions that need to be clarified before one can address specific collecting issues. Many people
think that antique Native American art is a narrow specialty. In fact it is quite broad. There are hundreds of tribes, each with its own unique
history and culture. There was never one single American Indian way of life or culture.
Moreover, traditional Native cultures did not have the concept of art as we understand it. Objects that we label as art were created by Native
Americans as objects of beauty to be appreciated in their daily use. Only after commercialization occurred were objects made to be sold or
traded without regard to function. Distinctions made between objects made for daily use and for ceremonial use can also be fuzzy. For
example, is a hat made to wear while hunting ceremonial because its wearer prayed before starting out on the hunt?
A collector can choose to collect within a category of manufacture (basketry, for instance), a tribe (Penobscot objects), a period (Historic
Pueblo pottery), a specific historic event (objects related to the introduction of the horse to the Plains Indians), a type of object (musical
instruments) or a design motif (objects with human figures). Geography can be a defining boundary, as can a type of workmanship (objects
that are twined). Within the chosen focus, there are still further choices.
Another common misconception is that Native American cultures were destroyed as a result of contact and conquest by
European-Americans ("Anglos"). Survival of Native American identity and pride have proven these beliefs to be erroneous, although the
various Native cultures certainly were dramatically impacted. Collectors from early contact and since have ensured the preservation of the
details of Native material culture.
Tribes in the Eastern part of the United States came into cataclysmic contact with Europeans in the 18th century, a much earlier date than
Western tribes experienced. Adventurers and expeditions often legitimately acquired objects representing Native daily life, such as clothing,
weapons and hunting equipment. This impulse to collect was fueled by the desire to give people back home a taste of the sophistication,
diversity and beauty of Native American material culture.
Major collections from those earliest contact days are primarily located in Europe (in England, Finland, Russia, Germany, Austria and Italy)
but are rarely found in American museums. The earliest American collections were, in fact, formed by explorers such as Lewis and Clark,
and by early New England seafarers who traveled to the Northwest Coast. (The Peabody Museums in Cambridge and Salem,
Massachusetts, are prime locations of these early collections.)
As the various tribes in the East accommodated themselves to the dominant Anglo culture, they began to make objects they could sell or
trade, many of which contained both traditional and borrowed motifs. This helped to provide a means of livelihood for the Indians in what for
them was also a New World. Curios made by the Iroquois around Niagara Falls in the late 19th century are obvious examples.
Western tribes came into overwhelming contact in the 19th century. First Spanish and then Anglo conquest forced the removal of Western
tribes to missions and reservations. The process was finalized with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad by 1880 and the final
"resettlement" of the Plains Indians to reservations.
Objects from the 1860-1880 period are far more rare than objects from the later Reservation era. These earlier objects were used by their
owners until worn out. The objects produced for the later commercial market were often collected new and preserved thanks to the Victorian
era conviction that the Native Americans were a "Vanishing Race" and that aspects of their culture needed to be preserved for prosperity.
Shops, including the well known Fred Harvey stores, opened along the railroad lines. Native people brought their wares to the railroads to
sell directly to the tourists. Traders marketed old and new objects through catalogs to buyers in the East. In fact, traders often initiated
designs and marketed specific types of wares that they thought would sell, thereby directly influencing the designs and types of objects that
Native people produced.
Because many people in today's society recognize the terrible injustice of what happened to Native cultures upon conquest, they also
presume that most objects were seized from their makers without compensation. While there certainly were some objects taken from
battlefields, etc., the majority of antique items offered for sale today were acquired by trade originating with their Native owners.
There is clear documentation that some objects brought high prices even at the time of their original sale. These include certain baskets
made by well known weavers, fine early Navajo blankets made for wear and pottery made for sale by famous potters. Moreover, older is not
necessarily more valuable. It all depends what the object is and how the market responds to that particular type of object.
What to collect? Collecting antique Native American art can be a major undertaking. Working with an established, reputable dealer will
generally aid you when making critical decisions. Be sure to work with a dealer who will fully represent and warrant in writing all objects he or
she sells.
As in all fields of collecting, aesthetics should be your starting point start with what you like. A collection will eventually define itself if you
purchase objects to which you respond. Reach for the highest quality that is within your budget. Value always rests with quality in
workmanship, condition and aesthetics.
You can further define what you are collecting by considering the following criteria. These can impact the value and marketability of any
object. Be careful to be informed, for what you may presuppose determines value may in fact actually be treated differently by the
marketplace.
1) The period in which the object was made.
2) The area and/or tribe from which the object comes.
3) The type of workmanship used to create the object. (The commercial market prefers certain types of manufacture.)
4) The materials out of which the object is made.
5) The historical importance of the object.
6) The documentation that accompanies the object, including the name and history of the maker.
7) Accurate provenance is rarely found for antique Native American objects since this was not something early collectors considered
important. When there is documentation, it does not automatically impact market value, although it sometimes does.
8) The rarity of the object. The ethnographic importance of the object versus its artistic value.
9) The design motifs on the object (for example, objects with human figures American flag motifs often bring higher prices than earlier
examples that contain traditional geometric motifs).
10) The age of the object. Age may or may not determine value. For example, baskets woven by Washo weaver Dat-so-la-lee under the
patronage of a trader in the early 20th century are among the most expensive baskets ever sold.
11) Legal criteria. Certain antique objects made by Native Americans include materials that are deemed illegal to sell in today's marketplace
by federal and state laws. Examples include objects that violate various endangered species laws, title questions on certain ceremonial
objects and objects excavated illegally. Working with a reputable and knowledgeable dealer can help protect you.
There is a long history of collectors valuing and preserving Native American art. As you take your first steps in acquiring these objects, you
open yourself to an opportunity to learn about many different types of people and ways of living. It can provide you with many years of
stimulation and intellectual growth. Enjoy your journey!
Marcy Burns has been a collector of antique American Indian art for over 28 years, and has been a dealer for 15 years. She is a member
and former president of the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association (www.atada.org) whose members fully warrant in writing all objects that
they sell.
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