More On-Line Fakes

Fraudulent reproductions have become increasingly prevalent in the contemporary Indian art market as well. I am a Lakota doll artist. I’ve been creating dolls for thirty years. In 1990 I created a landmark Lakota doll, entitled, “The Last Lakota Horse Raid.” It took me a year and half to complete. My original design pays homage to my Lakota relatives, while also reflecting my personal spiritual journey as a Lakota woman.

Images of my “Last Lakota Horse Raid” doll have appeared in many publications, including, Artists and Craftspeople (Hirschfelder, 1991) and North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment-From Prehistory to the Present (Dubin, 1999). There have been plenty of opportunities for people to view my master work.

In recent years, I have seen innumerable, unauthorized facsimiles of my “Last Lakota Horse Raid” doll. It is obvious to me that my design has been stolen and reproduced. The color schemes may vary, but the design is always the same. Someone is ripping me off! I watch, in horror as online sales of my stolen design multiply. Obviously, my design is a hit. However, I am not benefiting from the sales. It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I disagree. I think imitation is theft. It is insulting and disrespectful.

In an attempt to find the origin of these inferior “knockoffs”, I contacted a few sellers. Each merchant I questioned responded with similarly vague information. Almost all of them claim to have acquired the dolls through auction houses or by way of an anonymous individual (usually an old man, who also happens to be deceased). Additionally, the dolls are often said to have been made by an unknown and/or deceased Lakota artist. On occasion, when the alleged “artist” has a name, it is a hokey, fictitious sounding name.

Mr. Johnson is right. Auction houses and dealers cannot dismiss their responsibilities in this matter. Someone deliberately stole my design. Someone deliberately reproduced it. Someone is deliberately selling it. In fact, I am monitoring two sales of my design as I write this. Of course, the fact that thieves are making money off of my original design disturbs me. But it goes deeper than that. I created this image to serve as an icon for hope and renewal. The Lakota experience has been, and still is, devastatingly harsh. Collectively, we all share the same broken heart. Creating dolls helps me to begin healing my emotional wounds. “The Last Lakota Horse Raid” was born of my desire to restore hope to my people. It was my wish to help renew our sense of pride and dignity. We Lakota are all connected. When I heal a little bit, they heal a little bit. When you steal from me, you steal from them.

References

Dubin, Lois Sherr. (1999). North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present. New York: Harry Abrams Publishers.

Hirschfelder, Arlene. (1991). Artists and Craftspeople. New York: Facts-on-File Publishers.

Photos below:

Left: Rhonda Holy Bear’s original “The Last Lakota Horse Raid”. (Copyright 1991 by Rhonda Holy Bear)

Right: This red doll is one of many knockoffs. This photo comes courtesy of a buyer who was unaware that it was a reproduction.