Auntie Knows Native
Where's the gathering? Auntie knows.
Native-owned businesses

How badges work

Every business may list and advertise. Only verified businesses earn a badge, and a badge can never be bought.

The three labels

Verified Native-Owned
At least 51% owned and actively run by an enrolled member of a federally or state-recognized tribe, or by a person certified as an Indian artisan by a tribe. This follows the standard in the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

Tribe-Owned
Owned by a tribe or one of its enterprises. Once a tribe claims its own page here, every business it lists there gets this badge automatically.

Community Business
Everyone else, including descendants who are not enrolled, allies, and businesses that serve the community. Welcome to list and advertise.

How a business gets verified

  1. An existing certification. Send a current certificate from a tribe (for example a tribal Native-owned business or TERO certification), a state program, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, or a listing in the federal IACB Source Directory. We confirm it with whoever issued it.
  2. Tribe-owned. Confirmed through the tribe's own verified page, or directly with the tribal office.
  3. Proof of enrollment. The owner shows tribal enrollment on a short video call, or sends a copy with the ID number blacked out, and signs the ownership statement.

Most decisions take about a week. Businesses that don't qualify are listed as Community Businesses and told how they could.

Rules every business follows

  • Badges are free. Paying for an ad never changes a business's label.
  • Without a badge, a business may not describe itself or its goods as Native-owned, Native-made, Indian-made, or use a tribe's name. Marketing arts and crafts as Native-made without qualifying is illegal under federal law.
  • No sacred or ceremonial items, and no protected feathers or animal parts.
  • Honest ads only: no false prices, fake reviews or misleading claims.

Privacy and fairness

  • We look at proof but never keep copies of tribal IDs. We record only the date checked, how it was checked, and who checked it.
  • Anyone can report a concern about a badge by emailing [email protected]. We review reports within two weeks, and the business can respond before anything changes.
  • Badges are re-checked once a year. A false claim removes the badge and any ads, with no refund.