By Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
The Indian Arts and Crafts Board
The Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, was created by Congress in 1935 to promote the economic development of American Indians and Alaska Natives (Indians) through the expansion of the Indian art and craft (art) market. The IACB operates three regional museums, conducts a promotional museum exhibition program, and produces a "Source Directory of American Indian and Alaska Native Owned and Operated Arts and Crafts Businesses."
Additionally, the IACB publishes informative consumer education publications which are available from www.doi.gov/iacb. A top priority of the IACB is the implementation and enforcement of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act (Act) of 1990, as amended.
IACB Museums
As part of its mission to promote contemporary Indian art, the IACB operates three regional museums: the Sioux Indian Museum, Museum of the Plains Indian, and Southern Plains Indian Museum. Some of the most respected Indian artists have participated in the Special Exhibition Programs at the IACB museums. Artists such as Oscar Howe (Yanktonai Sioux), Allan Houser (Chiricahua Apache), Victor Pepion (Blackfeet), Jim Schoppert (Tlingit), and T.C. Cannon (Caddo and Kiowa) exhibited and are included in the outstanding contemporary collections at the museums. Today, the IACB museums continue this prestigious tradition of featuring changing shows of contemporary Indian artists through exhibitions of paintings, mixed media, graphic arts, and other contemporary and traditional art forms. The IACB is the only federal agency that is consistently and exclusively concerned with the economic benefits and cultural development of federally recognized Indian artists.
Sioux Indian Museum, Rapid City, SD (1997) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
The Sioux Indian Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota, is housed inside the Journey Museum and Learning Center. Originally founded in 1939 through the cooperation of the federal and Rapid City governments, the museum relocated to the Journey Museum in 1997.
Displays include an extensive collection of historic quillwork, beadwork, and painted hides. Traditional games, horse gear, musical instruments, and household items are also exhibited.
Museum of the Plains Indian, Browning, MT (1941) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Opened in 1941, the Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning, Montana, displays richly varied Northern Plains Indian arts, including the Blackfeet, Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Sioux, Assiniboine, Arapaho, Shoshone, Nez Perce, Flathead, Chippewa, and Cree. Their traditional regalia, weapons, cradles, shields, and tools highlight the exhibits.
Southern Plains Indian Museum, Anadarko, OK (1947) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
The Southern Plains Indian Museum in Anadarko, Oklahoma, displays the diverse Indian arts of Western Oklahoma, including the Kiowa, Comanche, Kiowa-Apache, Southern Cheyenne, Southern Arapaho, Wichita, Caddo, Delaware, and Ft. Sill Apache. Exhibits include historic clothing as well as contemporary sculptures, paintings, and basketry. The museum also features a rare mural and dioramas by Allan Houser.
The museum was founded in 1947-48 through federal and Oklahoma State government cooperative efforts.
IACB Commissioners
The IACB's policies are determined by its Commissioners, who are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior and serve without compensation. The current appointees are Chairperson Harvey Pratt (Cheyenne Arapaho), Vice Chairperson Rose Fosdick (Nome Eskimo Community), and Commissioners Ruthe Blalock Jones (Shawnee/Delaware/Peoria), Vi Colombe (Modoc), and Charles Harwood. Past IACB Commissioners have included John Collier, Vincent Price, Lloyd Kiva New (Cherokee), Arthur Amiotte (Oglala Lakota), and Joan Hill (Muscogee Creek).
Vincent Price (1967) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
The well-known actor Vincent Price served as Chairperson from 1967 to 1972. He was a passionate collector of, and advocate for, Indian art during his lifetime.
Lloyd Kiva New (1972) by IACBIndian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Master Cherokee artist and designer, educator, and entrepreneur Lloyd Kiva New was appointed as IACB Commissioner in 1961, and served as Chairperson from 1972 to 1996. He was also instrumental in the founding and stewardship of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
To learn more about the IACB's current Commissioners, please visit this webpage.
Indian Art and Craftwork: Quillwork,
Beadwork, and Painting
Since time immemorial, Indians have produced diverse forms of art in a variety of media. From utilitarian items to ceremonial objects, these works were created with great care and reveal linkages to deeply rooted cultural traditions and personal experiences that guided their production and use. Although there are many Indian art practices, this exhibition focuses on quillwork, beadwork, and painting. Quillwork is an art form unique to Indians. It was practiced for hundreds of years before the arrival of Euro-Americans on the Great Plains. During the 18th and 19th centuries, quilling arts reached their highest level of development. Quillwork was used to decorate shirts, moccasins, and jewelry, among other objects of material culture. This distinctive practice has endured over the centuries to become one of the most recognizable art forms of the Great Plains today.
Men's Quilled Moccasins (1900) by unknown (Sioux), Sioux Indian Museum (R.69.2.22)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
A sunburst design is incorporated into the quillwork on the top of these men’s moccasins. Sunburst designs are also often seen on hide paintings. To learn more about this object, please visit this webpage. Men’s Quilled Moccasins (Sioux). Buckskin, porcupine quills, glass beads; ca. 1900; Sioux Indian Museum (R.69.2.22).
Woman's Quillwork Dress (1906) by Good Road Woman (Sicangu Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.296)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
The dragonfly patterns in the quillwork adornment of this dress are a symbol of change and transformation in Indian culture. Woman’s Dress. Good Road Woman (Sicangu Lakota). Buckskin, porcupine quills; 1906; Sioux Indian Museum (R.296).
Quilled Tobacco Pouch (1983) by Tim Lammers (Oglala Sioux), Sioux Indian Museum (R.85.1.2)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Quilled Tobacco Pouch. Tim Lammers (Oglala Sioux). Buckskin, porcupine quills, glass beads; 1983; Sioux Indian Museum (R.85.1.2).
Quilled Vest (1900) by unknown (Sicangu Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.83.6.5)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Child's Vest (Sicangu Lakota). Buckskin, porcupine quills; ca. 1900; Sioux Indian Museum (R.1202).
Quilled Vest (1900) by unknown (Sicangu Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.1202)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Quillwork: Historic Period
The abundant population of porcupines in the upper Midwest and Great Plains regions gave rise to a variety of quillwork techniques. Quills were dyed with mineral or vegetable dyes then worked into personalized designs. Prior to the 20th century, only women made decorative quillwork. Designs belonged to the woman who created them. The art form was thought to be sacred. Quillwork is very tedious and time consuming, and each quill must be attached to the background with a small stitch. With the arrival of glass beads in the Americas quillwork became less common. Indian artists readily adopted European glass beads because of their ease of use. Fortunately, some artists kept the quillwork tradition alive, resulting in an artistic revival in the 20th century.
Beadwork: An Introduction
One of the best known art forms practiced by Indians is beadwork. Before the arrival of Europeans, they used stone or wood tools to create beads from natural materials, such as bone and shell. The construction of beads was a long and difficult process. Before the introduction of metal tools, most of the beads made by Indians were relatively large and worn strung on necklaces or attached individually to garments. It was not until the arrival of trade beads from Europe that Indians could obtain smaller beads in sufficient quantities to make the beaded designs we know today.
Saddle Bag (1900) by unknown (probably Sicangu Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.68)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Saddle bags such as these were suspended across a horse’s body and used to carry household goods during travel. Saddle Bag (probably Sicangu Lakota). Buckskin, glass beads; ca. 1900; Sioux Indian Museum (R.68).
Men's Moccasins (1920) by unknown (Sicangu Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.138)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Men's moccasins (Sicangu Lakota). Cowhide, glass beads, wool cloth; ca. 1920; Sioux Indian Museum (R.138).
Chief Two Strike's Beaded Shirt (1890) by unknown (Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.221)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
This beaded shirt was owned by the Lakota Chief Two Strike. Shirts such as these are only worn by respected leaders within Plains Indian cultures. Leader's Shirt (Lakota). Buckskin, glass beads, horsehair; ca. 1890; Sioux Indian Museum (R.221).
Beadwork: Historic Period
Beads were one of the earliest European trade goods brought to the Americas. Spaniards were trading beads to Indians in New Mexico by the middle of the 16th century. Beads were made available through trading posts, but Indians soon spread trade beads far and wide through their own exchange networks. Eventually, they could be found in the most remote parts of the United States. The use of European beads to decorate clothing and other objects was a development of an existing artistic tradition among Indians. To a large degree, European beads replaced quillwork in these artistic traditions.
Beaded Baby Carrier (1880) by Mrs. Grouse Running (probably Cheyenne River Sioux), Sioux Indian Museum (R.1249)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Carriers such as these were used by Lakota women to carry babies on their backs. Beaded baby carrier. Mrs. Grouse Running (probably Cheyenne River Sioux). Buckskin, glass beads, cotton cloth, wood; ca. 1880; Sioux Indian Museum (R.1249).
Male Doll (1890) by unknown (Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.764)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Dolls such as these were made as toys for children. They were also used by women to teach young girls the techniques of sewing and beadwork. Male and female dolls (Lakota). Buckskin, glass beads, horsehair; ca. 1890; Sioux Indian Museum (R.764 & R.765).
Female Doll (1890) by unknown (Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.765)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Scraper (1900) by unknown (Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.69.2.38)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
Tools such as horn scrapers and bone awls were used to prepare animal skins for beadworking. Scrapers were used to remove the hair and flesh from hides that would be decorated with beadwork. Awls were used to make holes in the hide that the beadwork was stitched through. Scraper (Lakota). Elk horn, iron, rawhide; ca. 1900; Sioux Indian Museum (R.69.2.38). Awl (Lakota). Animal bone; ca. 1900; Sioux Indian Museum (R.539).
Awl (1900) by unknown (Lakota), Sioux Indian Museum (R.539)Indian Arts and Crafts Board (IACB), U.S. Department of the Interior
This exhibition was developed by the IACB, August 2018.
To learn more about the IACB, please visit https://www.doi.gov/iacb.
Please continue to Part 2 of the IACB exhibition.
