The Autry makes every effort to invite American Indian artists who produce high-quality works of art to sell during the American Indian Arts Festival. However, we remind you that all sales that take place on the festival grounds are a private transaction between the artist and buyer. Artists set their own prices and receive all proceeds from their sales. The Autry Museum of the American West assumes no liability for the delivery of commissioned artwork.

A Note About Tribal Affiliations
Native American tribes are known by many different names. Often, the most familiar name is not what a tribe calls itself. For example, although Navajo Nation is the tribe’s official name, its autonym is Dine, Diné, or Dineh, and artists might opt for any of these terms. Some tribes have changed their legal names to reflect the names used in their own languages. Native artists carefully choose how they wish their tribal affiliations to be listed so as to reflect history, geography, culture, and other important aspects of their identities.

The American Indian Arts Festival is a showcase for artists from over 40 Native tribes across all of North America, including from our own state of California. Like all other tribes around the country, California’s tribes have a tragic and tumultuous history. In the 1950s the federal government’s continued attempts to force assimilation on the entire Native American population resulted in the termination (i.e., loss of federally recognized status) of more than 109 tribes. In California, this came about through the Rancheria Act of 1958, which resulted in the termination of the federal status of 44 Indian tribes.

Some artists here today are descendants of California tribes that are not currently recognized by the United States federal government. Those artists will be identified with an asterisk (*) following their tribal affiliation. We encourage you to meet these and all of the artists here today to learn more about their cultural identities and rich histories.

The Indian Arts and Crafts Act
In 1935 Congress created the Indian Arts and Crafts Board. The board is responsible for promoting the development of American Indian and Alaska Native arts and crafts; improving the economic status of members of federally recognized tribes; and helping to develop and expand marketing opportunities for arts and crafts produced by American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law that prohibits misrepresentation in the marketing of Indian arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer, display for sale, or sell any art or craft product in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian or Indian tribe or Indian arts and crafts organization or resident within the United States. Under the Act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federally or officially state-recognized Indian tribe or an individual certified as an Indian artisan by an Indian tribe.

California Ivory Ban
A California state law went into effect on July 1, 2016, prohibiting nearly all sales of ivory except as allowed under federal law. Under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, Alaska Native hunters can target walrus; Native artists can harvest, buy, and carve their ivory; and anyone can purchase the art.