SELLERS OF KNOCK-OFFS SENTENCED IN FEDERAL COURT

Trading Post TimesTrading Post TimesTrading Post TimesTrading Post Times

Volume 17, Issue 4 October:December 2020

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:

Pueblo Holiday Dances. (Please

contact Pueblos for dates and

times.)

SWAIA Virtual Winter Market

November 28

www.swaia.org

R i v e r T r a d i n g P o s t

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Tiny Treasures: A Collection of Mini’s

2

RTP Unveils New Website

2

SWAIA Claims Success With Virtual Market

3

Happy Holidays and a 30% Savings

4 The message is the same

everywhere. Stay Safe!

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.— Three men were sentenced in federal court in Albuquerque on August

26 after pleading guilty to misrepresenting Philippine made goods as authentic Native American.

Collectively they will pay the Indian Arts and Crafts Board $300,000 in fines, and will forfeit any

interests in over $288,000 in goods seized by investigators in the case.

Jawad Khalaf and Nash Khalaf of Sterling Islands Inc. were additionally sentenced to two years

supervised release. Their company, Sterling Islands, Inc. was sentenced to five years probation.

Al-Zuni Global Jewelry was sentenced to five years probation.

In December, 2018 a grand jury charged the men with

conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States and

misrepresentation of Indian produced goods and products.

The investigation was spearheaded by the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife service.

CAVAET EMPTOR ...

...simply means that the buyer is totally responsible for

checking the quality and suitability of an item before a

purchase is made.

Unfortunately there are those who will take advantage of the

unsuspecting buyer by selling them misrepresented or fraudu-

lent goods. It happens every day. The result is that the buyer

is cheated, and the artists are deprived of income.

When it comes to American Indian Art, make certain that

you are working with a reputable dealer or galley. If, during

your shopping, you see a place with extra bright lights that

offers automatic huge discounts, or uses a high-pressure sales

technique, tread carefully. Know who you are dealing with.

Trading Post Times Page 2

RTP UNVEILS NEW WEBSITE

Twenty years ago, River Trading Post was one of the first to offer an on-line buying opportunity to Native American art collectors.

Technology has evolved just a bit in those twenty years, and so has our website.

We have designed our new site to be more interactive and feature-rich

than ever before. For example, now you can zoom in on an item to see

greater detail, you can build a personalized “wish list,” and you can

compare your favorite selections before making a purchase.

You can even set up your own account to make future purchasing

easier, and to take a look at your prior purchases. This is a great feature

when you are trying to keep track of gifts you have given.

Things do change in 20 years and so have we. Enjoy our new website.

www.rivertradingpost.com

TINY TREASURE: A COLLECTION OF MINIS

Once upon a time, baskets were functional tools used for carrying wood, vegetables or eggs. Pots were used to carry water and to

store food, and weavings were used to keep warm.

Today, many of those wonderful “standard size” items have been reduced to sizes not much larger than a

dime or a quarter. Collectors today love mini American Indian art objects. The tiny pieces are great for

gifts, and for collections. They can be beautifully displayed in shadow boxes, in display cases, and even in

old printers trays. One collector even described her new miniature pottery as “jewelry for my desk.”

These miniature works of art should not be misconstrued as toys. The at-

tention to detail in these tiny collectables is equal to that of their larger

cousins, and in some cases they require much more work. They are created

by many award winning artists, such as Jeff Roller (Santa Clara Pueblo).

Check out his exquisite lidded bison miniature pot shown at the right. It is

just a tad over 2 1/2 inches.

An added benefit of collecting miniatures is that when space is at a

premium, collecting doesn’t have to stop.

If you haven't considered miniatures as a part of your collection, you might

want to think about it. They truly add a new dimension to any collection.

Today you can find nice collections of miniature baskets, pottery and weav-

ings at River Trading Post in Scottsdale and on our website.

Volume 17, Issue 4 Page 3

River Trading PostRiver Trading PostRiver Trading PostRiver Trading Post 314 N. River Street

Dundee, Illinois 60118

847-426-6901

7033 E. Main Street, 102

Scottsdale, Arizona 85251

480-444-0001

www.rivertradingpost.com

Going on 18 years now,

River Trading Post has become

renowned for its diverse collection

of American Indian art, and as the

friendliest place around for explor-

ing and buying American Indian

art.

Browse our galleries, visit our web-

site, and we believe you will find a

treasure with your name on it.

BRINGING YOU THE F INEST

AMERICAN INDIAN ART FOR 21 YEARS.

R IVER TRADING POST

Scottsdale Dundee

SWAIA CLAIMS SUCCESS WITH VIRTUAL INDIAN MARKET.

Santa Fe, N.M.— The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts proclaimed its 2020 virtual Indian Market a huge success.

Under the direction of Executive director Kim Peone, the association abandoned the historic format of the Santa Fe Indian Market in favor of a virtual market due to COVID-19.

According to SWAIA, the virtual market drove sales for the 450 participating artists and increased SWAIA membership by 144 percent.

Out of the 1,117 Indigenous artists who were juried into the 2020 Santa Fe Indian Market, 450 artists participated in the inaugural Virtual Indian Market. Of those, only 77 artists had existing websites. When the market was launched all 450 artists had websites through Artspan with help from SWAIA.

From the viewpoint of the artists, the results were a little different. Those who participated reported that they experienced anywhere from no sales to about 1/3 of their usual sales. Although there were many who did not even recover their $200.00 entry fee, those who were fairly successful said they worked very hard to make sales, including external publicity about the market such as telephone calls, emails and posts on social media. They all agreed that the missing ingredient was face-to-face contact with collectors. One artist commented that “without being able to see collectors face to face, there is no point in having a market. This virtual market was not good for me.”

One of the biggest difficulties was that those who did not have Internet access or were not tech-savvy were not able to participate. This resulted in the exclusion of many elders and artists who live in remote areas.

SWAIA and Artspan received mixed scores in terms of being responsive and helpful in resolving technical issues with artists. Some said that SWAIA was very responsive in helping them while others said that there were just too many glitches. They all said that they needed technical assistance at some point due to inaccurate or conflicting instructions.

Bottom line is that the jury is still out on virtual markets. We are sure that with time, the technical issues will be ironed out. Will they find a way to be more inclusive? We hope so.

In the meantime, SWAIA plans to hold a Virtual Winter Market on November 27, 2020.

Kim Peone (Colville Confeder-

ated Tribes/ Eastern Band of

Cherokee Indians) Executive

Director, SWAIA

Phone: 866-426-6901 www.rivertradingpost.com

314 N. River Street East Dundee, IL 60118

Arts of Native America

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM US TO YOU

As the holidays approach, we want to thank you for choosing River Trading Post as a trusted place from which to add to your collection of fine American Indian Art.

This year, we hope that you will consider River Trading Post again to select a special holiday gift for you or a loved one. We have a beautiful range of great gifts — from note cards and American Indian College Fund blankets to museum classic American Indian pottery, baskets, sculpture, and Navajo weavings.

Happiness for You: A Special 30% Holiday Savings*

Enjoy a special Holiday Savings from Friday, November 27 through December 24 in our galleries and on our website.

—Visit one of our galleries and just say “snowball” to receive your holiday savings!

—On our website, use the promo code “snowball” and your savings will be applied automatically!

Happy holidays from all of us at River Trading Post!

*Sorry...Savings does not apply to sculpture or sale items.