IACC Indigenous Identification Strategy

IACC Indigenous Identities Strategy

Transparency is our responsibility; engagement is yours.

IACC Indigenous Identification Strategy

Organizational Challenges

The IACC serves Indigenous peoples only. In 1990, the United States created a truth-in-advertising law called The Indian Arts and Crafts Act that prohibits misrepresentation in the marketing of Indian (Native American/Indigenous) art and craft products.

Unfortunately Canada has not prioritized this work and the responsibility entirely falls on individual organizations and artists to self identify and validate their own work as authentically Indigenous. The IACC as a National Arts Service Organization is committed to ensuring that viewers have an easy way to identify artists within our membership by clearly labeling our membership lists, platforms and programming. The IACC will not tolerate misrepresentation and fraud will result in loss of membership.

Organizational Mandate

The IACC firmly supports requirements that obligate individuals to validate their relationship to living Indigenous peoples and communities.

Furthermore, the IACC requires that all member artists have a firm commitment to:

  1. the protection and development of endangered Indigenous art forms,
  2. maintain the integrity and history of traditional Indigenous art forms,
  3. contribute to the transmission of Indigenous knowledge within our families and sovereign nations.

Indigenous Identity

At present, there is a particularly volatile climate surrounding Indigenous identity. People who perpetuate the myth that Indigenous identity is self determined and not reliant on any relationships with Indigenous nations/tribes or communities are now called 'pretendians' or 'race shifters'. These people claim Indigenous identities and many are 'self identifying' without having actual relationships/connections to people and communities. Many of these organizations and individuals are getting access to funding that is meant for Indigenous organizations, peoples and communities. Note: this does not include victims of Indian child apprehension and Indian displacement practices (Sixties Scoop, residential school, incarceration) by government and church run programming. The IACC stands firm in our strategy of transparency; all IACC members are required to validate their identity.

Funding and Services Access

Funding specific to Indigenous peoples or communities is in place for specific reasons such as to improve quality of life, increase services to marginalized communities and to mitigate damages to cultures as a result of colonization and cultural genocide.

The IACC strongly opposes the distribution of Indigenous funding and services to non-Indigenous people. Furthermore, the IACC is taking steps to ensure that the funding received is only used toward programs and services for Indigenous peoples.

It is the responsibility of IACC members to provide ID with honest and transparent biographies.

It is the responsibility of viewers to engage with members that are a good fit.

IACC Solutions • A Timeline

2012

Upon it's birth in 2012, the IACC was established for the protection and preservation of endangered Indigenous art forms and to inspire and elevate Indigenous artists. The IACC was dedicated to inclusivity and membership requirements were not as regulated as perhaps they should have been. This resulted in a membership base where approximately 5% were insufficiently vetted.

2020

In October of 2020, the IACC began to require that all membership applicants submit identification that supported their declaration of Indigenous identity. The ID cards accepted were various and general as there was no structure in place to determine or deny anyone or any group of self identification. The IACC could neither approve or disprove how anyone identifies.

2023

In 2023, the IACC implemented a clear strategy on which ID cards would be accepted based on the decision to distribute services exclusively to Indigenous people. With less funding, the IACC then moved forward to identify priority groups. That is, marginalized communities and peoples such as on and off reserve women and children and northern communities.

2024

In 2024, the IACC is devoted to absolute transparency and will publicly display the identity that each member has claimed on their application thus leaving it up to the viewer to decide if the identity is aligned with the product or services they seek.

During our growth, the IACC has determined that authentic, connected and related Indigenous peoples do not disagree with our ID requirements. Furthermore, the IACC has learned that our members and Indigenous people at large, support our decision to require ID and have expressed that they wish more organizations would vet members in the same transparent manner.

We have reached out to all IACC members

The IACC has repeatedly asked all members to [re]submit their Indigenous ID verification cards/documents. We do not retain any of this information (it is all permanently deleted immediately after viewing) so if you're not sure your ID has been validated, please reach out to us (board@indigenousartscollective.org).

Many members have complied (thank you) and a few have not responded for various reasons including outdated or unmonitored email addresses, discontinuation of artistic creation, closing of businesses and stores and illness and/or death.

Collection of Identification

 Any member sending ID or other identifying documents to IACC for verification: We guard your privacy. Your ID is viewed and immediately and permanently deleted from all IACC records (on or off line). We do not keep any identifying information other than what the member gives us permission to retain and post publicly on their profile page (at time of registration) which includes: name, address, email and phone number. IACC does not publish address and phone number unless a member specifically asks us to. We are extremely careful about any risks related to member privacy and you submit this information to us voluntarily. If you have any requests or questions, just reach out to us.

This process is fluid and fast changing...

The IACC is actively monitoring the situation and adopting best practices exampled by organizations and people who are making change through research. We recognize a need to move beyond self identification. Presently, we are a First Nations women led organization (all board are status card numbered Indians under the outdated Indian Act) and the internal arguments of the Métis peoples are not ours and so we hold no opinions; we do not enter into conversations regarding who is and who is not Métis. We are however acknowledging that Red River, Manitoba is an origin/land base and limit our resources to including those members as a priority group.

In all cases, IACC doesn't not support or promote pan-Indigenous groups or unassociated Métis organizations and maintains that criteria and rules may change. We will do our best to remain up to date.

In conclusion, these efforts by the IACC are meant to protect the membership that has honoured us with their trust.

Our goals also include:

  • providing viewers of our website authentic resources,
  • providing seekers of workshop facilitators vetted Indigenous artists,
  • provide researchers and buyers of Indigenous art, vetted Indigenous artists.

Some resources include:

https://www.canada.ca/en/research-coordinating-committee/priorities/indigenous-research/2023/report-what-we-heard.html

https://indigenous.usask.ca/documents/deybwewin--taapwaywin--tapwewin-verification/jean-teillet-report.pdf

Certificate Indian Status

Verified First Nations have presented a Certificate of Indian Status (Status Card).

Indian Status is the legal standing of an Indian under the outdated Indian Act of 1876. While most Indigenous peoples reject being labeled as 'Indian', they are still subject to that classification by the Canadian federal government. The government has 'numbered' all First Nations people whose genealogy aligns and Certificate of Indian Status is the identification card used to access government programs and services.

Indian Act has undergone amendments since it was first passed in 1876, but it retains its original intention and is administered by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). The Indian Act is a part of a long history of assimilation policies that intended to terminate the cultural, social, economic, and political distinctiveness of Aboriginal peoples by absorbing them into mainstream Canadian life and values.

Inuit

Inuit are Indigenous people of the Arctic. The word Inuit means "the people" in the Inuit language of Inuktut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.

Many Inuit in Canada live in Inuit Nunangat, which means "the place where Inuit live."

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of 4 regions:

  • Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon)
  • Nunavik (Northern Quebec)
  • Nunatsiavut (Labrador)
  • Nunavut

Métis

The Government of Canada provides funding to numerous Métis organizations. These organizations are not on the IACC priority list but may be IACC members. IACC members may have provided one of the following IDs. We suggest that the artist include their identity in the bio of their profile page. We suggest also that the website visitor read the artist profile page for clarity and reach out to the artist to verify that they align with the visitors' needs:

Manitoba Métis Federation

Métis Nation of Alberta

Métis Nation of Saskatchewan

Métis Nation British Columbia

Métis Nation of Ontario

Unverified

In 2023-2024, the IACC board of directors reached out to all members asking that they provide support to their self identification as Indigenous peoples. Those members who supplied documentation supporting their identity as Inuit, First Nations or Manitoba Métis have been matched to those communities and are considered 'priority groups' to receive access to IACC programs and services as long as we have funding. All members who are outside of those communities have their own distinct category. Members who didn't provide ID or their ID did not fit into one of those communities are marked as unverified, insufficient or from an unrecognized group of people.

IACC website visitors are encouraged to reach out to these artists directly to verify that they align with the visitors' needs.

IACC members are highly encouraged to include their identity in the bio of their profile page.