Indian artists and their supporters in South Dakota hope amendments to the Indian Arts and Crafts Act will stop the sale of fraudulent goods.

The law bars people from marketing goods as "Indian" unless they were produced by a member of a federally recognized tribe or by a tribe. President Barack Obama recently signed a bill that expands enforcement of the law.

"A lot of times, people in this area, they want to buy something that's made by Native Americans, but consequently some things aren't," Oglala Sioux artist Marty Two Bulls told The Sioux Falls Argus Leader. "As you know, it's cheaper to have something made in China."

Linda Boyd, the owner of Prairie Star Gallery, supports the amendments. She said some places in South Dakota sell "Indian" items that are made in China.

"I'm an enforcer of this. It's very important," Boyd told the paper.

Get the Story:
Purpose of new law is to shield consumers from buying faux art (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 9/1)
Seeking new life for Native art (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 9/1)

Indian Arts and Crafts Amendments Act:
H.R.725

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