Are there any real Native Americans?
Posted on 05/26/2023 1:56:07 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Seattle-based artist Jerry Chris Van Dyke, who falsely advertised his carvings as Native American art, has been sentenced to 18 months of federal probation.
In March, Van Dyke, who has no tribal enrollment or heritage, pleaded guilty to violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act—a federal truth-in-marketing law administered by the Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB) to curtail the proliferation of counterfeit Native American artworks.
The Indian Arts and Crafts Board received a tip in February that Van Dyke had claimed to be a member of the federally recognized Nez Perce Tribe, whose ancestral lands are in present-day Idaho. Undercover investigators from the US Fish and Wildlife Service then entered a gallery in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, where they purchased carved pendants made by Van Dyke but advertised as the work of a Native American artist named Jerry Witten.
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Upon being questioned by agents, Van Dyke admitted that he knowingly misrepresented masks and pendants—made of antlers, wooly mammoth ivory, and fossilized walrus ivory—as authentic works made in the artistic tradition of the Indigenous people of northern Alaska and the Bering Sea. Through the gallery, Van Dyke had sold more than $1,000 worth of counterfeit Native American artwork.
Van Dyke was first charged in December 2021, together with another Washington-based artist who had falsely claimed Native American ancestry, Lewis Anthony Rath.
“Prosecuting cases of fraud in the art world is a unique responsibility and part of our work to support Tribal Nations,” Brown, said. “I hope this case will make artists and gallery owners think twice about the consequences of falsely calling an artist Native and work Native-produced. They should consider the damage to reputation, the legal fees and ultimately a criminal record.”
Are there any real Native Americans?
What about all the money this fake libtard ripped off?
What about violators of the Indian Fakers and Impostor’s Act? Shouldn’t they get 20 to Life, especially when they get elected Senator?
How about Elizabeth Warren falsely claiming native american ancestry on her state bar application? When does she get prosecuted?
There is no such thing as a Native American. Everybody came here from somewhere else, period!
Lock up Lieawatha.
They might want to go with being a pre-Columbian American.
By definition, if you are born here aren’t you native American? My ancestors, several generations back, were born in Europe but I was born here and identify as an American. His problem was probably claiming membership with a specific tribe.
But, but, ‘twould appear that he “identifies” as a native American, and thanks to the left’s unmatched ability to m**turbate on the language, a word can be changed to mean anything they want it to mean - is that not correct?
And this will continue until the left starts getting punched in painful areas each and every time they utter this type of c**p.
Not kidding in any way whatsoever. They want to create hurt, let them get hurt.
Once again....a leftist soldier of the democrat party gets off easy.
Are you referring to Pocahonky?
> Van Dyke, who has no tribal enrollment or heritage, pleaded guilty to violating the Indian Arts and Crafts Act <
I think I’m in trouble. Because I’ve been selling fake Mahatma Gandhi memorabilia for years now.
Oh, wait. This article is talking about American Indians, and not India Indians.
Never mind.
Mel Brooks.
Dimwits are exempt from all laws.
Bet he doesn’t do all of his 18 month of probation..or he gets to phone it in.
I consider myself a native born american cause I was born in the united states.
But then I also consider myself a male cause I was born with a penis.
I may have dressed as a female for halloween once in the 80s
But there were no children or stories involved, however there was lots of beer.
I am lucky have a few original paintings by henri plisson
He changed his name to sell more prints.
Too many laws.
My grandmother told us she was a member of the Nanaimo tribe but we could not confirm this, my father thought there were fishing rights to receive as this tribe was established on both sides of the US/CA border. He had no record of her ancestry but now we have Ancestry.com which confirms that I have around 8% Northamerican DNA. So that’s pretty cool, but I don’t have art skills so I don’t sell Totom Poles. So it goes
I’m glad Ed Ames isn’t around to see this.
How did Pochahontas get by. She lied and received millions by doing so.
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