This project examines how traditional and Indigenous arts and crafts navigate the pressures of globalization and the legacies of colonialism through a cultural anthropological lens. It centers on questions of cultural exchange, identity, agency, and ownership, while expanding the idea of cultural safeguarding to include not only tangible objects but also intangible heritage — spiritual meaning, collective memory, oral histories, and creative agency. By focusing on these dimensions, the project seeks to better understand and address ongoing issues of disrespect and misappropriation experienced by source communities in contemporary markets.
Focusing on South Asian and American Indigenous practices, the project uses the shared label “Indian” as a critical entry point to explore how naming, classification, and history shape cultural representation. It examines current legal protections alongside the realities of unmonitored engagement beyond source communities, considering how art and craft practices are used, represented, historicized, and recontextualized. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with artists and craft professionals, as well as participant observation, this work highlights the complexities of cultural stewardship in a globalized world.