Professional Framework — Appraisal Considerations for Tribal and Indigenous Artwork
Why is the object only part of what is being appraised?
Sometimes value follows directly from quality, condition, and comparable sales. But for Tribal and Indigenous artwork, the appraiser is often evaluating a bundle of rights and restrictions rather than a physical object alone. Possession is not title. Title is not the authority to transfer. And the authority to transfer does not establish that a lawful market exists in which the transfer can occur.
This article examines how USPAP applies to these assignments—scope of work, competency, authenticity, condition, provenance, ownership and good title, protected wildlife and plant materials, intellectual property rights, extraordinary assumptions, hypothetical conditions, and disclosure. It introduces legal marketability, the principle that comparable sales must reflect comparable legal rights rather than comparable objects alone, and it addresses the Appraisal Standards Board's recent guidance on artificial intelligence in appraisal practice.
Whether you are a collector, museum professional, appraiser, attorney, fiduciary, or student of cultural heritage, this article offers a practical framework for understanding what must be identified, investigated, analyzed, and disclosed before a credible opinion of value can be developed.
