We all know there are many Pretendians out there. But we also know there are hundreds and hundreds of groups pretending to be Indian as well.
More than 200 groups, in fact, claim to be “Cherokee” — vastly outnumbering the three federally-recognized Cherokee tribes: the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina.
That's one of the reasons Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. of the Cherokee Nation is speaking out about those he calls “phony tribes” and “fake tribes.” And one way to stop these Pretendians is to amend the Indian Arts and Crafts Act by restricting the law to citizens of federally recognized tribes.
“The Indian Arts and Crafts Act actually recognizes state tribes,” Hoskin said at a meeting of the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes on April 14, 2023. “It puts tribes like the ‘Four Winds Cherokees of Louisiana’ on par with the Cherokee Nation.”
“The ‘Four Winds Cherokees of Louisiana’ is phony as a $3 bill folks,” Hoskin said of a group that is able to sell goods as “Indian” by virtue of being state recognized. “It’s fake.”
“But federal law recognizes that fake tribe — and hundreds of other fake tribes — as real tribes. And they’re not real tribes. We need to change that,” Hoskin said.
The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes approved a resolution supporting the proposed amendment during their meeting that was hosted by the Chickasaw Nation in Thackerville, Oklahoma. But you too can support the effort by contacting the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, which is considering long-overdue updates to the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
The Cherokee Nation has provided a template letter you can send to Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), the chair of the committee. But you can also use the document to contact your member of the U.S. House of Representatives and your members of the U.S. Senate.
Don’t be shy! You can adjust the letter to reflect your tribal citizenship and why you want to protect artists from your tribal nation. Just get those letters in by May 19.
And don’t forget: There will be a listening session on April 26 for what Schatz’s committee is calling the Amendments to Respect Traditional Indigenous Skill and Talent (ARTIST) Act of 2023. The session is going to be virtual so all those Pretendians will have to show up in some manner in order to explain why they should continue to be included in the Indian Arts and Crafts Act. Stay tuned!
Full remarks from Chief Hoskin at the Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes follow:
There are a couple of items on our agenda that are, I think, of significance to all of Indian Country, and one of the issues that we are advocating for at the Cherokee Nation is an amendment to the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
The Indian Arts and Crafts Act is an important law. It's a law that says there ought to be truth in advertising. It's a law that says that if you market your art and you're a member of a tribe, that you can label it that way. But if you're not a member of a tribe, you shouldn't get to market it that way.
If you're a member of some fake tribe, you shouldn't get to market it in the same way. Well, guess what? The Indian Arts and Crafts Act actually recognizes state tribes. It puts tribes like the ‘Four Winds Cherokees of Louisiana’ on par with the Cherokee Nation.
The ‘Four Winds Cherokees of Louisiana’ is phony as a $3 bill folks. It's fake.
But federal law recognizes that fake tribe — and hundreds of other fake tribes — as real tribes, and they're not real tribes. We need to change that. Our ancestors lost too much, fought too hard, endured too many traumas to have to sit next to an organization that was made up out of whole cloth just to make a buck.
Folks, we can do better in this country. The Congress, the United States, needs to change that law, and there's an item on this agenda that will get us towards that, will advocate for stripping state tribes from the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.
And there's one other measure on here that we're proud of, and that is something that Chief Barnes of the Shawnee Tribe who came here to visit with us, and the United Indian Tribes of Oklahoma came here to talk to us about, and that is ending the participation of state tribes in the National Congress of American Indians.
If it's the National Congress of American Indians, it ought to be for Indian tribes — that's federally recognized tribes.
Thank you all very much. Wado.
Read more about the Indian Arts and Crafts Act on Indianz.Com:
Tribal leaders urge Congress to protect Native artists from ‘fake tribes’ (April 17, 2023)
Fake Indian art still a major problem despite federal responsibilities (March 14, 2023)
Fraudulent Native artist charged with violating Indian Arts and Crafts Act (November 24, 2021)
'Phony tribes'