A New Mexico artist with Navajo and Hopi ancestry isn't being allowed to sell his Hopi artwork at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.

Although Ambrose Teasyatwho, 50, is a member of the Navajo Nation, his father is Hopi. But he isn't allowed to market himself as Hopi at the Heard because he isn't enrolled with the Hopi Tribe.

"To me, we have to chose between our mom and our dad, that's not right," Teasyatwho told The Farmington Daily Times.

The Heard Museum says its policy is based on the Indian Arts and Craft Act. The law requires goods that are marketed as "Indian" to be produced by Indians.

But the Heard appears to be alone in its interpretation of the law. The Santa Fe Indian Market, the largest Indian arts market in the world, recognizes that artists can have multiple tribal backgrounds.

Get the Story:
Artist must choose between two tribes (The Farmington Daily Times 5/31)

Inspector General Report:
Indian Arts and Crafts: A Case of Misrepresentation (June 2005

FY2007 Budget Request:
Bureau of Indian Affairs Budget | Departmental Offices [includes Office of Special Trustee]

FY2007 Budget Documents:
Fulfilling Trust Responsibilities | Serving Tribal Communities | Protecting Lives, Resources, and Property [includes Safety in Indian Country] | Budget in Brief | Interior Department [from the White House]

Relevant Links:
Indian Arts and Crafts Board - http://www.doi.gov/iacb

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