In The `Native' Art Market, True Origin Is Often Masked

Stacey Raub knew something was wrong when carvings of model totem poles with his signature began turning up in tourist shops in Alaska.

The Native-American artist from Washington's Makah Tribe had developed a decade-old reputation in the tourist-driven world of native arts and crafts. But some of the signed pieces on the Alaskan shelves were not made by his hands.

Unknown to Raub, a Seattle-area wholesaler had hired workers in the Philippines to make reproductions that were sold as authentic Raub handiwork.

Raub sued. Now only the pieces he has carved are advertised as made by him.

Raub's story is not unique in the Northwest native art and crafts industry - a business that has long had a reputation for answering tourist demand with falsely advertised reproductions.

The most public crackdown in decades came just over a week ago, when two Seattle merchants agreed to pay $20,000 each to settle a claim that they had sold and distributed thousands of pieces of art - some costing $4,000 - as native-made when they were not.

Since 1990, the Federal Trade Commission says, Seattle store owner Ngoc Ly and other non-Native Americans employed by him, carved soapstone figures - walruses, seals, Eskimo fishermen - and signed them with Eskimo-sounding names. Kurt Tripp, owner of a Seattle wholesale business, passed the work generated by Ly and others as native-made to retailers in Washington and Alaska, according to the FTC.

"I'm not so sure we've seen quite this volume of really pricey stuff" counterfeited before, says Eleanor Durham, who worked on the case for the FTC.

Under the settlement, Ly, who owned Northwest Tribal Art Inc., and Tripp, who owns Ivory Jack's Trading Co. Inc., did not admit to the allegations.

There is no dispute that the non-native soapstone carvings and masks - which sold for between $250 to $500 - were of good quality. But regulators, retailers and artists concerned with the integrity of the industry say buyers have a right to know exactly what they're getting.

"There's no reason you should pay a premium to have a nice carving of an Eskimo done by a no-name (non-Native) carver," Durham says.

Many of the arts and crafts sold in tourist shops in Alaska are distributed by Seattle businesses. This year, according to Alaskan economic officials, native art and craft sales will account for more than half of the nearly $80 million in retail items purchased by tourists. And roughly 80 percent of the pieces advertised as native-made that sell for more than $100 may actually be non-native reproductions, says Chuck McGee of Alaska's Commerce and Economic Development department.

The bottom line, merchants realize, is that the cultural heritage of a piece is directly tied to profits.

On average, native art can sell for 30 to 40 percent more than non-native items, according to the FTC. A knock-off Stacey Raub totem pole crafted in the Philippines, for example, sells for under $30. But an original carved by Raub draws $75 to $90.

The Alaska Legislature is considering a bill that would add force to a longstanding "Silver Hands" customer-protection program. Each piece of authentic native art must have a silver and black tag indicating it is native-made. Under the new proposal, each store must also display a poster explaining the program, and each item sold for more than $100 must have a certificate of origin.

Matthew Steinbrueck, who carries 90 percent native art in his store, Raven's Nest Treasure in the Pike Place Market, says there are plenty of businesses, including his, that still accurately represent the origin of different pieces of art.

"There're lots of genuine articles out there," Steinbrueck says.

Customers should carefully read documents accompanying the art, Steinbrueck says. And they should ask store owners to provide signed statements of the artwork's origin. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Identifying the real stuff

Here are some tips to make sure you know what you're getting when you buy items advertised as produced by Native-American artists:

-- If you have serious concerns, ask the store owner to sign a statement or provide other proof of authenticity.

-- Check the piece of artwork carefully for stamps showing a different country of origin.

-- If shopping in Alaskan stores, check for the "Silver Hands" classification for native-made art.