| OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE SECRET- OF THE INTERIOR 9 Department of the Interior. Two of them have been in New Mexico studying the proposed development along the Rio Grande. Further action on the agreement has been withheld pending receipt of th& report as to prospective benefits to be derived by the Indians, and the share of the cost which should be paid by their lands. INDIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP There are 355,901 Indians in the United States. They are numer-ous in 24 States. Last year they earned through the sale of their blankets, baskets, pottery, beads, wood carving, embroidery, and paintings, $1,267,816. Of this sum 74 per cent, or $944,863, was earned by the Indians of Arizona, Minnesota, and New Mexico. There is wide interest among our people in these activities of the Indians; for the preservation and encouragement of Indian arts and crafts; and in the purchase of the articles they make. In my visits to Indian reservations and schools in Arizona, New Mexico, and elsewhere I gave special attention to their handiwork. Perhaps the Government could recognize these products in some o5cial manner and athereby render a real service to those Indians now engaged in such crafts and to those who might be encouraged to interest themselves in them. Field instructors from the Indian Service might enlist additional Indian producers. The market for Indian handiwork at present is largely local, the bulk of the output being bought by touriste from dealers at the places of production. The demand for articles of Tndian craftsman-ship in distant parts of the country is negligible, probably because potential buyers question the authenticity of the articles. In the Indian country the prospective buyer feels assured of genuineness, and the Indian setting provides an atmosphere which encourages him. To enlarge the market for Indian handiwork, the department is considering the advisability of adopting a trademark desigri which could be registered in the United States Patent Office. The design would be attractive, suggesting craftsmanship of the North Ameri-can Indian. It would be in a form suitable for attachment to the various articles to be marked. Use of the trade-mark would not be compulsory, but it would guarantee that the product was genuine. A thorough distribukion of the proposed trademarks or labels could be accomplished by placing them with superintendents of Indian reservations and schools. Those officials would issue them with proper safeguards to insure their legitimate use. It would seem that some such plan need not interfere with established trade, and, with the co-operation of Indian traders and dealers generally, the distribution could be su5ciently wide that any Indian might readily obtain the trade-marks. |
