Indian Arts and Crafts Board welcomes new member with regulation enforcement track record
Addition of Commissioner Walt Lamar arrives amid renewed enforcement initiatives
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
By Acee Agoyo
Indianz.Com
WASHINGTON, D.C. —
The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), the federal company billed with safeguarding and marketing reliable Native art, is welcoming a new member.
Walt Lamar is a citizen of the Blackfeet Country and a descendant of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. As the most recent commissioner on the IACB, he provides a prosperity of experience in Indian Region law enforcement to the Indian arts environment.
“His storied regulation enforcement profession, bundled 19 a long time with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, exactly where he served as a Exclusive Agent/Supervisory Particular Agent until 2000. On his departure from the FBI, he was appointed U.S. Division of the Interior (DOI) Deputy Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office environment of Law Enforcement Providers,” the IACB claimed in information launch on Wednesday.
“In 2001, Mr. Lamar was appointed DOI Senior Advisor to the Director-Business office of Law Enforcement and Stability to make sure protection of the Nation’s dams, monuments, and icons,” the release ongoing.
Lamar’s law enforcement qualifications lead to IACB’s mission. The federal company helps with enforcement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which makes it a criminal offense to promote products and solutions as “Indian” except they are produced by an Indian artist or tribally-accredited artisan.
The regulation, the modern variation of which was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990, defines an Indian artist as a citizen of a federally- or condition-regarded tribe and an artisan as an individual licensed by a tribal government. Enforcement has stepped up in latest a long time as federal authorities investigated and prosecuted individuals who have fraudulently represented by themselves as “Indian” when in truth they are not.
“When people and businesses current market artwork misrepresented as Indian designed, they undercut Indian artists and Indian economies, and prey upon unwitting consumers,” IACB Director Meridith Stanton reported in a information release in May well, as nevertheless one more personal was sentenced for violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
“For individuals promoting counterfeit Indian art and craftwork, where ever you are we will diligently do the job to obtain you and prosecute you underneath the act,” said Stanton, who is a citizen of the Delaware Country.


U.S. Department of the Inside Video clip: Secretary Deb Haaland on supporting Indian artists and the Indian Arts and Crafts Act
With Secretary Deb Halaand getting the very first Native person to direct the Section of the Interior (DOI), the Biden administration has been using ways to increase enforcement of the law. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is element of DOI, just wrapped up a sequence of tribal consultations and listening classes to go over new rules for Indian arts and crafts.
The ultimate accumulating took spot virtually two months back in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The meeting coincided with the start of the busy Santa Fe Indian Current market, exactly where more than 1,000 American Indian and Alaska Native artists showcase their works to a huge national and worldwide audience.
Nevertheless, just one Native advocate and just one Native artist who went to the listening session have been unable to present reviews on enhancing enforcement of the law. Both reported the federal workforce in demand explained to them the meeting was presently over, even while it had been scheduled to run for a few several hours on the afternoon of Friday, August 18.
The two men and women instructed Indianz.Com that it was challenging for Native artists to make it to the session, considering that most were being finalizing their works for the preferred sector, which hosted its have functions at the exact same time on Friday afternoon. The community school yr also commenced that exact week, adding to the hectic nature of peoples’ schedules.


Santa Fe Indian Marketplace: Empower and Advertise Indigenous Arts
Just two months prior, the business powering the the Santa Fe Indian Marketplace warned Indigenous artists about the up to date polices. The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, a non-profit that began the celebration over 100 a long time back, stated that likely modifications could end up hurting the artisans the regulation is intended to safeguard.

“The proposed growth of the definition of Indian Artwork & Indian goods has the
prospective to provide about penalties for your compact Indigenous-owned firms,” SWAIA stated in an August 1 information to artists.
An examination of the proposed regulations that SWAIA supplied argues that the growth of “non-Indian labor” will damage Indian artists by “flooding the market” with things that are not made by Indigenous folks.
“This is accurately contrary to the language and intent of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act
and could seriously undermine existing enforcement of the Act,” the SWAIA doc states.
Additionally, SWAIA reported the proposal will “twist” the definition of Indian arts and crafts to include products that have not historically been guarded by the law. Once again, the organization mentioned the adjustments would hurt Indigenous artisans.
“For illustration, these non-arts and crafts products and solutions would include things like beer, wine, agricultural and food items merchandise such as incredibly hot pet dogs, well prepared foodstuff shipping and delivery providers, restaurants, and Tv set exhibits,” the SWAIA analysis reads. “Thus, conventional and modern Indian art and craftwork as we know it would be equated with incredibly hot canines and beef jerky, as al staying Indian art and crafts products and solutions.”
SWAIA encouraged artists to post remarks to the BIA by the end of the working day on Friday, which is when the comment period of time closes. Submissions can be emailed to [email protected], in accordance to a Dear Tribal Leader letter that went out on April 3.
Independent from the laws, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is thinking about amendments to the law. The Amendments to Respect Classic Indigenous Ability and Expertise Act of 2023, also known as the ARTIST Act, would make substantial changes to tackle fraud and exploitation of Indigenous artists.
The committee hosted a well-attended listening session in April. Just about each speaker referred to as for increased and expanded enforcement of the law in purchase to reduce the sorts of fraudulent pursuits that have led to federal investigations and prosecutions.
“There really should be a implies wherein tribes could warn the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, who could then get in touch with studios, manufacturing businesses, and other media stores — and even get authorized motion against these people today,” said Cedar Sherbert, a citizen of the Iipay Country of Santa Ysabel, one of the Kumeyaay tribes whose homelands span southern California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico.
Sherbert, who has worked in movie for many years, argued for the inclusion of accomplishing arts and literature in the regulation. Other speakers who come from federally-regarded tribes agreed with an growth to consist of a broader ranger of operates established by Native persons.


Indianz.Com Movie: ‘Phony tribes’: Cherokee Nation normally takes on fraudulent teams
Moreover,
Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. of the Cherokee Nation referred to as for a key adjust in the regulation. He mentioned individuals who belong to point out-regarded groups — which he has referred to as “phony” — should really not be protected by the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
“This is a problem that is ongoing,” Hoskin stated in the course of the listening session, which took area practically. “Often these businesses will market membership into their corporations. It’s something that desires evaluation by this committee.”
“It requires correction. Indian Nation is not likely to tolerate this,” Hoskin added.
The committee, which is chaired by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), also read from a number of representatives of point out-acknowledged teams who opposed any efforts to clear away them from current legislation. Just about all of the speakers had been based in North Carolina — which happens to be the condition where by a person of the Republican staffer’s tribe is based mostly. The GOP staffer participated in the listening session on April 26.
“It’s tough for us state recognized tribes right here in North Carolina to get federal recognized because of to the truth lots of of our courts have been burned down — and a whole lot of the documents,” stated Patrick Suarez, who identified himself as getting from the Meherrin Tribe, a condition team.
“However, our folks are the identical. We have powerful connections, genealogy, DNA screening to the federal regarded tribes.”
Schatz has not indicated regardless of whether he will formally introduce the ARTIST Act in the U.S. Senate, or no matter if the draft variation that the committee has introduced will be current to deal with issues raised by leaders and citizens of federally-regarded tribes.
“The United States Structure states that the only energy more than Indigenous People is with Congress, the United States Congress,” claimed Keeley Denning, who is Cherokee and Delaware. “So why are states becoming allowed to figure out these groups who are not Native and are not able to make proof of getting this kind of?”
The Indian Arts and Crafts Board, which was produced by Congress in 1935, is made up of five commissioners. In addition to Lamar, the members are
Joyce Begay-Foss (Navajo), Marcus Monenerkit, Jamie Okuma (Luiseno / Shoshone-Bannock / Wailaki) and Jordan Ann Craig (Northern Cheyenne).
Begay-Foss serves as chair while Monenerkit serves as vice chair. All are appointed to the board by the Secretary of the Interior. The commissioners are not paid out for their work on the federal entity.
“The IACB seems to be forward to doing work with Commissioner Lamar, along with Chairperson Joyce Begay Foss (Diné), Vice Chairperson Marcus Monenerkit, Commissioner Jamie Okuma (La Jolla Band of Indians), and Commissioner Jordan Craig (Northern Cheyenne) to advertise and shield genuine American Indian and Alaska Native artists and their inventive do the job,” the news launch stated.
Lamar retired from federal services in 2005, according to the launch. His partner is Cynthia Chavez Lamar, a citizen of the Pueblo of San Felipe who is the very first Indigenous girl to serve as long-lasting director of the Smithsonian Countrywide Museum of the American Indian.
Linked Tales