20 U.S.C. § 4401: Findings

Indian art and culture and Native Hawaiian art and culture have contributed greatly to the artistic and cultural richness of the Nation; Indian art and culture and Native Hawaiian art and culture occupy a unique position in American history as being our only native art form and cultural heritage; the enhancement and preservation of this Nation’s native art and culture has a fundamental positive influence on the American people; although the encouragement and support of Indian and Native Hawaiian arts and crafts are primarily a matter for private, local, and Indian and Native Hawaiian initiative, it is also an appropriate matter of concern to the Federal Government; it is appropriate and necessary for the Federal Government to support research and scholarship in Indian art and culture and Native Hawaiian art and culture and to complement programs for the advancement of such art and culture by tribal, private, and public agencies and organizations; current Federal initiatives in the area of Indian art and culture and Native Hawaiian art and culture are fragmented and inadequate; and a national Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development, and a program for Native Hawaiian culture and arts development.