Kiana.... Raven.... Creed....

• It is quite common on eBay and elsewhere to see totem poles, masks, and other items that are sold as genuine Native objects; yet they bear names or signatures that show they are cast reproductions, not original works of Native art.

Just as a Rolls-Royce does not carry Chevrolet name-plates, there is no need to wonder whether these items could possibly be genuine Native carvings.   These are the names of companies which were, or are currently, in the business of manufacturing cast reproductions.  A person who sees one of these for the first time may well think it is soapstone, wood, argillite, or ivory.   However, none of these companies ever used any of those materials.

• All of the following are makers of cast reproductions: BOMA; Kiana; Creed; Raven; Raven Arts; Potlatch; Shamans; Wolf; Wolf Originals; J. Wolf; WE; Wolf Enterprises; Greg Wolf; Edmond Wolf;  Jo-Lin or Jolin; Abbott; Griffin's; Glacier; Thorn Arts; Philip Thornberg; Tuffluk; Alaska Craft; Authentic Alaska Craft; Alva Museum Replicas; Tahnoo; Pearlite; A.R.T. Totems, and many others.  

Most cast repros will sink in water, unlike wood. The back may exhibit vertical striations, a characteristic of several of the repro makers. Look for screws, "signature," and woodgrain that are part of the casting, and interior angles and detail that would be impossible in real wood or stone. The surface will likely contain small round bubbles left by the casting process; these will not be seen in carved stone or wood.  A common feature is to see cast-in "wood grain" running vertically from the base and up through the back of the pole; yet on the front of the base, the grain appears to be horizontal, a physical impossibility.  Resin items will fail the "hot pin test."  However, many cast items are not resin, but made from plaster or other compositions, so an item that does not melt under a hot pin may still be a casting.

• The small cast pole illustrated here is made from a lightweight resin which floats in water but fails the hot-pin test; it shows a small bubble on one eyebrow and the typical striations on the back, but otherwise looks and feels very much like wood. Though Wallace was a real Native carver of large-scale totem poles, the only items bearing his name which are available today are cast resin reproductions such as this one by an unkonwn casting firm; or the heavy "Hydrostone" castings made by Griffins in the 1960's.

These items may appear quite real to anyone who is unfamiliar with them; but if an item bears the name of a casting firm, it is a cast item.