"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Council Approves Indian Arts Act

TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma – The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council unanimously approved a Truth in Advertising for Native Art Act at its Jan. 14 meeting.

The act, which has been the subject of many council discussions for more than a year, establishes guidelines regarding the purchase, promotion and sale of genuine Indian arts and crafts within the CN and by CN entities.

The act requires anyone selling Native American art in the CN to be a CN citizen or a citizen of a federally recognized tribe.

“It’s different from the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act in that we actually require federally recognized tribal citizens to actually say that you’re an Indian artist to sell art in the Cherokee Nation,” said the act’s sponsor, Dist. 7 Councilor Cara Cowan-Watts.

She said the act comes at a time when non-Natives and others claiming to be members of non-recognized tribes have sold art as authentic Native art and that the act would help stop some of these sales.

“Anyone buying Native American art in the Cherokee Nation can be better assured that the piece was created by a true Native American,” she said.

Councilors also approved the 2006-07 Indian Housing Plan, which included a land-purchase strategy to create a communal land base where citizens could build homes.

The IHP passed by a vote of 13-4, with Councilors Bill John Baker, Chuck Hoskin Jr., Tina Glory Jordan and Joe Crittenden voting against it.

“I cannot vote for this,” said Councilor Baker. “I’m not convinced that buying, maybe years in advance, inventory of lots and not building houses to go with them is prudent at this time.”

But Cowan-Watts defended the plan stating that despite the council not knowing every detail, she believes the plan is something the tribe needs to meet long term community needs.

“If we’re going to continue to invest the dollars in economic development and diversifying businesses, especially in our more traditional communities, I think it’s imperative that we invest at this time, early, while land is still cheap and available to create sustainable communities that make sense for us in a more traditional manner,” she said.

Crittenden said he opposed the plan only because he didn’t see anything in it that pointed to the tribe building homes on the land anytime soon.

“I haven’t seen anything so far to make me believe that more than it’s just a land acquisition more or less,” he said.

The council also approved the third budget modification to the fiscal year 2008 tribal budget, which decreased by $18,000 down to $429.4 million.

The major change included a decrease in the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act Fund of $137,548, which was related to carryover adjustments on modernization and rental assistance activities.

The council also:

* Tabled a resolution that would have authorized an independent environmental study and a feasibility study of the CN landfill in Adair County,

* Authorized the CN Environmental Programs to submit a $353,000 grant application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for an Intertribal Environmental Council Superfund program,

* And honored a 100-year-old CN citizen named Mary Ross, who was one of the first female Native American engineers and assisted with the first moon landing in 1969 while working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.