Native American Indian artisans are protected from misrepresentation of goods produced by non-Indian labor through federal acts like the Native American Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 and the Indian Arts and Crafts Enforcement Act of 2000. These acts have been created to establish “Truth-In-Marketing” provisions intended to protect Indian artists from goods being falsely sold as “Indian Made”. In order for items to be designated Indian-produced goods; the products must be handmade by tribal members or by designated tribal-artisans of nations resident to the United States. Proof of authenticity or documentation is required and should be provided to the public. It is unlawful to misrepresent or imply non-native produced goods to be “Indian product” or made by a particular tribe.
Unfortunately, the public may unknowingly purchase Native-inspired items, believing them to be of Native American Indian origin. The Acts require these native-styled, but non-Indian produced, crafts be labeled identifying them as “Not an Indian Product” or made in whatever country they came from. If unsure of the origin of an item, customers should ask the vendor for additional information before making purchases. Anyone, who knowingly sells non-Indian made products as being Native American made items, is in violation of the Acts and should be reported to the US Department of Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board.
To read more about the protection of Native American Indian art and artisans, please visit the US Department of Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board website at http://www.doi.gov/iacb.