April 12, 2023

Interior Department Seeks Input from Tribes Regarding Indian Arts and Craft Act

KSUT | Clark Adomaitis

The U.S. Department of Interior wants to update a truth-in-advertising law regarding Native American-made arts and crafts.

The Indian Arts and Crafts of 1990 law requires truth-in-advertising regarding Native American-made products. A violation can result in fines of up to $1 million or a 5-year prison sentence.

The law makes it illegal to sell an art or craft product in a way that falsely suggests it is produced by a Native American, or a particular Native American tribe.

Updates to the law, would include packaging and labeling requirements, and other enforcement measures. Changes also could allow non-Native Americans to work on Native American products in certain cases.

Over the next several months, the Department of Interior will host public comment sessions in New Mexico, Las Vegas, Alaska, Oklahoma, as well as a virtual session online.

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