About 180 Native artists in New Mexico met on Tuesday for the annual meeting of the Native American Portal Program.

The program, operated under the auspices of the state, ensures that only Native vendors can sell arts and crafts on the portal in downtown Santa Fe. But the program has been in the news lately after three Pueblo artists were removed from their leadership positions on the portal committee.

Artists at the meeting decried the dispute that has played out in the local media. They elected Cheryl Arviso, a Navajo woman, as their president, rebuffing efforts by the ousted Pueblo artists to regain their posts.

The artists also banned the use of cell phones and credit card machines on the portal, saying they detract from the tradition of Native sales. They approved the use of coral and fresh-water pearls and renewed a two-year ban on allowing new vendors on the portal.

The city of Santa Fe restricts sales on the portal to Indian artists, a tradition that dates back to the 1930s when Pueblo artists made a daily trip from their reservations to sell wares to tourists. The restriction has been upheld by the federal courts under the Morton v. Mancari U.S. Supreme Court that held Indians can be treated separately due to their political and legal status.

Get the Story:
Palace of the Governors: Portal artists urge end to rift (The Santa Fe New Mexican 4/26)
pwpwd

Relevant Links:
Museum of New Mexico - http://www.museumofnewmexico.org
Palace of the Governors - http://www.palaceofthegovernors.org

Related Stories:
Pueblo artists removed from Santa Fe portal posts (04/04)