Navajo Arts & Crafts Guild

The United States Congress, at the urging of the Indian Service, created the Indian Arts and Crafts Board on August 27, 1935. In general, its function was “to promote the economic welfare of the Indian tribes through the development of their handiwork or manufactures.” The IACB, in turn, created the Navajo Arts and Crafts Guild (NACG) in September 1941. The guilds were established to provide the artisans a place to sell their wares. Each guild aimed its products at “quality stores in the East, Mid-west, and Southwest,” and avoided the tourist market. A minimum-wage scale was established for graduates of the guild.