Department
of the Interior
Departmental
Manual
Effective Date: 6/30/04
Series: Organization
Part 112: Policy,
Management and Budget
Chapter 27:
Indian Arts and Crafts Board
Originating Office:
Indian Arts and Crafts Board
112 DM 27
27.1 Creation. The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (Board) was
established by an Act of Congress, Public Law 74‑355 (25 U.S.C.
305). It consists of five Commissioners,
who are appointed to four‑year terms by the Secretary of the
Interior. The Commissioners carry out their
functions with the assistance of professional staff.
27.2 Functions.
A. The
top priority of the Board is the enforcement and implementation of the Indian
Arts and Crafts Act (Act), which was enacted by the Congress in response to
growing sales of arts and crafts products misrepresented as being produced by
Indians.
(1) The Act is a truth‑in‑advertising
law that prohibits marketing of products as "Indian made" when such
products are not made by Indians as defined by the Act. It is intended to protect Indian artists and
craftspeople, businesses, and tribes, as well as consumers.
(2) The Act also protects Indian cultural
heritage and supports efforts of the tribes and their members toward achieving
economic self‑reliance.
B. The Board also promotes the development of
contemporary Native American arts and crafts ‑ the creative work of
American Indians and Alaska Native people.
C. The Board provides services to federally
recognized tribes and their members and state recognized tribes and their members,
as defined in the Act, such as arts and crafts market research and promotion;
assistance with intellectual property matters, including trademark
registration; business development assistance and technical advice; and
correlation of public and private programs.
27.3 Organization.
The Indian Arts and Crafts Board reports to the Assistant Secretary - Policy,
Management and Budget, or his/her designee.
The organization includes the Commissioners, a Director, and program and
administrative staff.
A. The Commissioners, in concert with the Secretary,
determine the overall policies of the Board and promote their
implementation. They also furnish expert
advice to the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management
and Budget, or his/her designee, on Native American cultural matters.
B. A Director serves as the Board's chief
operating officer and is responsible for management and coordination of all
Board and staff activities, including consumer protection and enforcement of
the Act, economic development and cultural preservation, and related long‑range
planning and public, professional, and governmental relations. The Director reports to the Assistant
Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget, or his/her designee.
C. The Museum and Exhibition Staff is
responsible for all museum and exhibition activities to promote authentic
Indian arts and crafts through the operation of the Sioux Indian Museum, Rapid
City, South Dakota; Southern Plains Indian Museum, Anadarko, Oklahoma; and
Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, Montana.
These activities include the distribution of consumer protection
information on the Indian Art and Crafts Act, liaison between the field and the
Washington office regarding complaints under the Act, as well as the production
of economic development, and cultural preservation publications and programs.
D. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act
Enforcement Staff is responsible for receiving, processing, evaluating, and
referring complaints, in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor, through
the Director and the Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget, or
his/her designee, to the Department of Justice for investigation and
prosecution, under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (Public Law 101‑644)
as amended (Public Law 106‑497).
The staff also educates the Indian arts and crafts industry, Indian
tribes, Indian artists and craftspeople, consumers, and the general public
about the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and related intellectual property matters.
E. The Market Development Staff is
responsible for a wide range of activities to promote the Indian Arts and
Crafts Act, and the work of Indian artists and craftspeople, Indian owned and
operated arts and crafts businesses, and the tribes. These include the development, production,
and distribution of publications and advertisements to raise the visibility and
understanding of, and compliance with, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act;
informational brochures on similar intellectual property matters, such as
trademark registration, and the Source Directory of Indian owned and operated
arts and crafts businesses. The staff
also provides technical assistance to Indian arts and crafts businesses,
museums and cultural centers, and tribes on business development and related
marketing programs.
F. The Administrative Staff is
responsible for the Board's budget, financial, personnel, procurement, and
property management.
27.4 Public
Information. All requests for
information should be addressed to the Director, Indian Arts and Crafts Board,
U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.
6/24/04 #3628