| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2023 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
2023 Technical Division Student Poster Contest
|
| Presentation Title |
SPU-1: Cultural Heritage Science: Authentication of Native American Artwork via Materials Characterization and Forensic Analysis |
| Author(s) |
Cody C. Marshall, Ava Knutson, Jon Joseph Kellar, Grant Crawford |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Cody C. Marshall |
| Abstract Scope |
The American Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 is a federal law that prohibits the sale of Native American art from a non-Native American. Since this law was enacted there have only been a handful of prosecutions across the country, even though fraudulent Native American art continues to be sold in large quantities. The focus of this research was to determine the authenticity of pieces of potentially fraudulent Native American artwork/artifacts through materials characterization and forensic analysis. Pieces investigated included a) Lakota bustle, b) ledger drawings, c) pipe tomahawk, and d) buffalo horn headdress. Each piece was subject to relevant materials characterization (e.g., micro-computed tomography, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and interpreted contextually within the Native American culture with the given time period to help ascertain potential authenticity. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |