2 artists charged with faking Native American heritage

The Associated Press ^ | Dec 10, 2021 | By GENE JOHNSON

[Oldeconomybuyer]

SEATTLE (AP) — Two artists are facing federal charges that they faked Native American heritage to sell works at downtown Seattle galleries.

Lewis Anthony Rath, 52, of Maple Falls, and Jerry Chris Van Dyke, 67, also known as Jerry Witten, of Seattle, have been charged separately with violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which prohibits misrepresentation in marketing American Indian or Alaska Native arts and crafts.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Rath falsely claimed to be a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and Van Dyke falsely claimed membership in the Nez Perce Tribe. The goods included masks, totem poles and pendants sold in 2019 at Raven’s Nest Treasure in Pike Place Market and at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on the waterfront.

“By flooding the market with counterfeit Native American art and craftwork, these crimes cheat the consumer, undermine the economic livelihood of Native American artists, and impair Indian culture,” Edward Grace, assistant director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, said in a news release.

Authorities said the investigation began when the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, an Interior Department agency that promotes Native art, received complaints that the two were fraudulently holding themselves out as enrolled tribal members.

Rath is charged with four counts of misrepresentation of Indian-produced goods, which is punishable by up to five years in prison. Van Dyke faces two counts of the same crime.

[NohSpinZone]

Good precedence out there...

[Larry Lucido]

Less than 1/1086?

[bankwalker]

what about U. S. Senators?

[2banana]

How about Elizabeth Warren faking her craft?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

It’s OK when the important people do it.

[ptsal]

Lizzy got to skate.

[SaxxonWoods]

Somebody call Ward Churchill.

[decal]

Ironically, they were bought by Ward Churchill...

[lurk]

Wasn’t there a senator from MA who took advantage of her ...indigenousness... to leap up the power ladder?

[Trillian]

We should go after people pretending to be American next. Start with the terrorists in congress.

[mylife]

I used to do pacific nw indian wood carvings, you know what being a real injun means in price?

bad indian

[Skywise]

Apparently it’s ok to fake Indian heritage. It’s NOT ok to sell dreamcatchers as “made by an indian”.

So she’s ok so long as she doesn’t make any Indian art…

[mylife]

you can tell cuz I do better work

[The Antiyuppie]

“We should go after people pretending to be American next.”

Well, that’s an interesting point. Aren’t there tens of millions of non-Americans pretending to be Americans in this country RIGHT NOW?

[rllngrk33]

How come I never see people faking being white so they can enjoy all that white privilege?

[Leep]

So, you could identify as the opposite sex but just don’t identify as a Indian and sell crafts.
I better consult the hand guide.

[Leep]

They did.
It was called “passing”

[mylife]

all my Indian friends were cool but lets face it, we screwed them and then signed treaties that screwed us

Injun Joe

[Mercat]

It was probably the “Made in China” label that sank them.