Acronyms used in the Indigenous art world. For definitions of art terms, click here.
A
AANY. Amigos de los Artistas/Artesanos Nuevos de Yucatán, AC, Mexico.
AFA. Associate in Fine Arts degree.
AIAM. American Indian Art Magazine.
AI/AN. American Indian/Alaska Native
AICA. American Indian Contemporary Arts, nonprofit organization in the Bay Area, a former gallery in San Francisco, CA.
AICLS. Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival.
AICF. American Indian College Fund.
AIHEC. American Indian Higher Education Consortium.
AIM. American Indian Movement.
AIQ. American Indian Quarterly.
ATADA. Antique Tribal Art Dealers Associations, Inc.
ATALM. Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.
AUTO. Art Under the Oaks, Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Muskogee, OK.
B
BFA. Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
BIA. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
BIAI. Bienal Intercontinental de Arte Indígena (Intercontinental Biennial of Indigenous Art), Quito, Ecuador.
C
CAM. Cherokee Art Market, Cherokee Nation, Catoosa, OK.
CAI. El Centro de las Artes Indígenas (Center for Indigenous Arts), Veracruz, Mexico.
CDIB, also CIB. Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood.
CIBA. California Indian Basketweavers Association.
E
EAB. The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, an invasive beetle that is destroying the black ash tree, Fraxinus nigra, in Canada and the United States.
EZLN. Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation).
F
FAAM. First American Art Magazine.
FNFVF. First Nations Film and Video Festival, Inc.
FUNAI. Fundação Nacional do Índio (National Indian Foundation), Brazilian governmental office who implements national Indian policy.
G
GBNA. Great Basin Native Artists.
I
IACA. 1 Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. 2. Indian Arts and Crafts Association.
IACB. Indian Arts and Crafts Board, under the US Department of the Interior.
IAIA. Institute of American Indian Arts, college in Santa Fe, NM.
IARC. Indian Arts Research Center, part of the School of Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM.
ICTMN. Indian Country Today Media Network.
ICWA. Indian Child Welfare Act.
IFAM. 1. International Folk Art Market. 2. Indigenous Fine Art Market.
IHS. Indian Health Services.
IPAM. Indigenous Peoples Art Market, Ziibiiwing, Mt. Pleasant, MI.
IPCC. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM.
ISA. International Society of Appraisers.
M
MAI. Museo de Arte Indígena, Asunción, Paraguay.
MAIC. Museo de Arte Indígena Contemporáneo, Curenavaca, Mexico.
MAP. Museo de Arte Precolombino, Cuzco, Peru.
MFA. Master of Fine Arts degree.
MIAC. Museum of Indian Arts and Culture.
MIBA. Maine Indian Basketweavers Alliance.
MMAI. Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Evanston, IL.
MoCNA. Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, former IAIA Museum.
N
NAA. Native Association’s Association, arts advocacy group in the 1980s and ’90s.
NAAA. Native American Art Appraisals, Inc.
NAASA. Native American Art Studies Association.
NACF. Native Arts and Cultures Foundation.
NAGPRA. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
NAISA. Native American and Indigenous Studies Assocation.
NARF. Native American Rights Fund.
NCAI. National Congress of American Indians, advocacy group.
NDN. Slang for Indian.
NEFA. New England Foundation for the Arts.
NIEA. National Indian Education Association.
NMAI. National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, in New York, DC, and Suitland, MD.
NONAM. Nordamerika Native Museum, Zürich.
NPIAM. Northern Plains Indian Art Market, sponsored by Sinte Gleska University, SD.
NTA. Non-tribally affiliated.
NWC. Northwest Coast.
O
ONABA. Oklahoma Native American Basketweavers Assoication.
R
RCIAS. Red Cloud Indian Art Show, an annual competitive art show hosted by the Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge, SD.
S
SAI. Society of American Indians, Indigenous rights organization active from 1911 to 1923.
SAR. School for Advanced Research, Santa Fe, NM.
SEASAM. Southeastern Art Show and Market, Chickasaw Nation, Tishomingo, OK.
SEIAA. Southeastern Indian Arts Association.
SFIM. Santa Fe Indian Market.
SFIS. Santa Fe Indian School. Historical home of the Studio from 1932 to 1962.
SNRC. Sequoyah National Research Center, part of the University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
SWAIA. Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, hosts Indian Market, Santa Fe, NM.
T
TBJ. Tribal Business Journal.
TCJ. Tribal College Journal.
THC @ RCIS. The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge, SD. Sometimes shortened to THC.
TOBO. Tohono O’odham Basketweavers Organization.
TOCA. Tohono O’odham Community Action in Sells, AZ
TOTAS. Trail of Tears Art of Show, an annual juried art show at the Cherokee Heritage Center, Park Hill, OK.
U
UNDRIP. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.