Posted 9 years ago
kennethleb…
(51 items)
As I was just schooled this is not a native American pottery piece but a tourist item probably purchased at a truck stop somewhere in the southwest. Could have fooled me!
my almost but not quite Native American pottery | ||
| Pottery6418 of 12585 |  |  |
Sorry, but this is not Native American pottery. It was made by the Desert Pueblo Pottery Company, a factory in Phoenix, Arizona. They make souvenir gift ware with a "southwest" or "Indian" theme or motif. They are a commercial factory with several lines, each of which has a distinctive signature. Blue Feather is one.
The "signature" is the name of the design line or pattern, not the name of an individual, although it is meant to create that impression. The company hires Native American workers to decorate and "sign" the pottery. The workers don't sign with their own names, since they are simply employees, painting designs created and owned by the factory, on pottery made from factory molds.
There are several factories in the Southwest that make souvenir giftware with a southwest theme or design: Ute Mountain, Mesa Verde, Cedar Mesa, Kopa, and Desert Pueblo Pottery. None are owned by Native Americans, and there is no tribal affiliation connected with their products.
Thanks canyonroad, goes to show you how much I know about pottery . Thanks for the schooling. Never to old to learn something new.
Thank you for helping to get the word out! I'm sure there are a lot of people who have purchased this type of pottery, thinking it is Native American, and sellers who are re-selling it as Native American, also not knowing that it is not. But posting this may prevent problems for a lot of people.
Before the passage of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, it was much more common to see Desert Pueblo pottery and other factory made gift ware being sold as "Indian" pottery. But the Act now makes it a federal offense to sell something as Indian or Native American, if it isn't actually made by an enrolled member or artisan of a federally-recognized U.S. tribe.
Good for the buyer, since sellers now must refund money for misrepresented items. Not so good for sellers who can't prove with 100% accuracy that the item is Native American, since they now risk up to a $250,000 fine and possible jail time. True, the latter usually applies to companies and big-time sellers, but the risk is there for anyone who sells something as Native American Indian, or from a specific tribe.
That is a good thing to be aware of. I have a high regard for the Native American people there traditions , culture and outlook on life in general that I personally would not intentionally or un-intentionally miss - represent anything associated with Native American. So again canyonroad I thank you for Bringing to my attention the fact that is was not what I believed it to be! Good for you!